Welcome to our section on foreign evangelism! This page joins the ranks of a number of other, similar websites, magazine news sections, and bulletins dedicated to awakening and informing brethren about efforts to spread the Gospel in other countries. The work of reporting these efforts is akin to the efforts themselves. If such works are to be done, those involved in carrying them out must be known and supported. Further, more men are always needed to preach in foreign fields and one proven way of finding them is via the spreading of news of the happenings and opportunities in such places.
“White unto harvest,” our chosen title for this section, is one with modern applications about which more brethren need to learn. Jesus once said, “Lift up you eyes, and look on the fields, that they are white already unto harvest” (John. 4:35). His meaning in saying this is clear when we compare his words in Matthew 9: “But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them, because they were distressed and scattered, as sheep not having a shepherd. Then said he unto his disciples, The harvest indeed is plenteous, but the laborers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he send forth laborers into his harvest” (vs. 36-38). Jesus was speaking of the unconverted masses in his day and such masses exist in our day as well. In the New Testament, laboring in the Lord’s harvest involved the masses in the first Christians’ home country and in “the uttermost parts of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
Fields “white unto harvest” were to be found throughout the world. Spreading information on the work and possibilities in other countries is an important link in fulfilling the Lord’s will today. Besides rejoicing at the spread of the Gospel (Acts 14:27), brethren informed by such reports can then enter into the Lord’s “harvest,” motivate others to do so, and/or encourage churches of which they are a part to support preachers laboring in the Lord’s harvest in other countries. A further helpful result of spreading such news is that relevant prayers – of thanksgiving or supplication, as the need may be – can be offered to God about situations in other countries (1 Thes. 3:6-10). In light of all this, we need more, not less, avenues to spread the tidings of workers’ experiences in other fields of labor. More brethren need to know of and be involved in these efforts to whatever extent they are able.
All who love the Lord want to see such results as we have mentioned above and our plans for this page will hopefully aid in bringing them about. To this end we plan a number of features designed to inform and expedite works in foreign fields.
- Spotlighting a given work each month. Our hope is to have men in various places write about their work. It is one thing for someone not familiar with a work to report on it and quite another for one involved in it to do so. In addition to giving on-the-spot accounts of current events, no one can argue for any given need in any given place better than one who is there. This will help brethren or churches interested in the work in other countries in at least two ways:
- It will familiarize them with the particulars of various works;
- It will acquaint them with workers in various places.
- Articles written for men working in other countries. Such news from an “outsider” is sometimes helpful and we would like to encourage it.
- Each month we will report the highlights in the news about foreign works of which we are aware. Editorials, introductory and otherwise, will be offered where deemed necessary or needed.
- In order to encourage direct contact between brethren, we will assemble a list of preachers in foreign works with addresses and e-mail addresses to be accessible on demand.
- There will be a regular section listing support needs. This will not be a dominant feature of this page. However, it is a worthy use of some of the space on it.
We hope this article will serve the purpose of informing our readers of our plans for this page. However, we also hope it will encourage brethren involved in or connected with foreign evangelism to contribute such news, reports, and information as we have detailed herein. Our ultimate hope is that our efforts herein will fall out to the furtherance of the Gospel.
