Blessed Friday. What can we do when the world’s problems seem too much? When we face things that seem too big for any of us to solve? Today's issue tackles prayer, cross-cultural ministry, and the importance of obeying the Father's call.

In today’s edition:

• Three reasons why you should pray knowing God is sovereign.

• Reintroducing Stratus, a tool to help you understand the world’s urgent needs and what you can do to make a difference.

• Seemingly simple words of encouragement from our founder, David: “Whatever God is calling you to do, do it.”

🧈 Does your disciple-making “smell like butter”?

Not long ago I came across a book called The Broken Leaf: Meditations on Art, Life, and Faith in Japan. It’s fascinating to learn how Christianity was first received in Japan and how, in the 20th century, Japanese artist Sadao Watanabe’s first impression of Christianity was less than favorable. 

He said, “In the beginning, I had a negative reaction to Christianity. The atmosphere was full of the ‘smell of butter’, so foreign to ordinary Japanese.”

Before the 1800’s, dairy products were virtually nonexistent in Japan and the “smell of butter” became a pejorative expression to describe anything foreign—including Christianity. But this is a cultural impression, not a spiritual one. Since then, many Japanese believers have shown how the spiritual truths of Christianity—sacrifice, humility, restoration—can be found through many expressions of Japanese art (like kintsugi) or storytelling (like kabuki). So we must ask ourselves: is it possible for Japanese Christians to embrace the gospel without smelling like butter?

In order to be effective disciple-makers, it must. The gospel is not a product of any one culture, but a message that crosses borders into every culture without the stench of its messengers. 

How we need the Lord’s wisdom to proclaim his message, without exporting our own cultural ideals! But who will go? As pastor Kanzo Uchimura asked nearly a century ago:

“Where are missionaries who are broad enough and deep enough and courageous enough to work with us to make Japanese Christians and establish Japanese Christianity?”

Will you pray with us for God to raise up another generation of believers to co-labor with our brothers and sisters for the sake of the gospel?

– Steven Morales

_{P.S. Check out our three-part documentary series Hard to Reach: Japan for a deeper dive into this beautiful country and its people.}

🙏🏽 Why should Christians pray if God is sovereign?

Why should we pray if we know that God is sovereign? Whether it is a curious young mind trying to make sense of the complexities and mysteries of the Christian life and the ways of God or a mature Christian wrestling with the implications of the teachings of Scripture, the question of God’s sovereignty and the necessity of prayer will feature somewhere.

So, here are three reasons to pray:

We are Commanded to

Prayer is an act of worshipful obedience. In prayer, the believer goes before the Father as a child to commune with him and cast their cares upon him. Prayer is an act of worship as we adore and praise our God by acknowledging his power and majesty. 

We Will Not Receive if We Don’t

“You do not have, because you do not ask,” James 4:2.

One reason for lack in a believer’s life is because they do not ask, or when they ask, they ask amiss. God has providentially determined that he will meet the needs of his children through their asking. Is it any wonder that the Lord Jesus Christ urged us to ask, knock, and seek, and when we do so, we have the assurance that we will receive and find? We must pray if we are to receive. 

We Pray Because God is Sovereign

God’s children have confidence and assurance in their prayer life because they have confidence in the God they are praying to. The sovereign Lord controls the hearts of kings, the sun, moon, and stars. 

When considering the sovereignty of God, the question must be, if God is sovereign, how could we not pray?

— Chopo Mwanza

🗺️ Stratus: Showing you where and what is needed, and how you can respond.

Do you ever want to pray for the nations but don’t know how to specifically pray for each country…or which countries to pray for? Yeah, we get that. 

So, we’ve launched an updated version of Stratus to help you learn about the urgent spiritual and physical needs of every country around the world. 

We also want to help you take the next step. Stratus identifies the countries with the greatest needs, helping you make informed missional strategies for allocating resources as you strive to see the Lord’s name made known and praised in every nation.

Since we know that one day every tongue, people, and tribe will know and worship God, join us in praying that we may all be faithful and diligent in spreading the gospel among our neighborhoods and the nations, that many may be equipped and sent, that disciples would be made, and that churches would be planted around the world.

🫂 In a “self-help” culture, we show Christ by helping others.

It was Thursday morning a couple of weeks ago. In a way I had not planned (or more accurately put, in a way that was completely different than what I had planned!), God put it on my heart to preach the following Sunday (three days away) on care for children in need of a family. 

Specifically, Psalm 10 came to my mind, where God refers to himself as the “helper of the fatherless” who does “justice to the fatherless” (see verses 14 and 18).

Later that day, I found out that there is a crisis in the foster care system in my community. And crisis is the right word. One social worker said it’s “the worst we’ve seen in decades.” 

Hundreds of children in our surrounding counties are in need of homes, and many of them are sleeping on sofas in social work offices, in hotels, or in homeless shelters. In one of our counties, 46 children were in need of a home, and they had zero families to care for them.

That Thursday, one particular child had come into foster care, and because there was no place for this child to go, this child slept in a homeless shelter. Three days later, this child asked a social worker to take them to church, and the social worker brought this child to where I just so happened to be preaching on God as helper to the fatherless.

That day, this child not only heard about God’s love for them, but in Spirit-led response to God’s Word, hundreds of people signed up to explore fostering children, mentoring children who are aging out of the foster care system, and supporting the many people involved in foster care. 

One family in particular, who just so happened to already be approved for fostering, heard about this specific child who had been in the homeless shelter, and by the next Thursday, they were caring for this child in their home.

There are many things I could say about what God did that Thursday morning, the following Sunday, and what God is doing even now. But for now, I simply want to encourage you. When God puts something on your heart to do according to his Word, I want to encourage you to do it.

If you are a follower of Jesus, God’s Spirit and God’s Word are alive and at work in you. I encourage you to pray continually for sensitivity to his Spirit, in such a way that when he redirects your plans according to his Word, you follow his leadership. 

It may be small: God placing someone on your heart or mind to pray for, you praying for them, and then reaching out to them to encourage them and let them know you’re praying for them. 

Or it may be something more: God prompting you to share the gospel with someone who doesn’t know Him, God leading you to serve someone in need, or God directing you to do any number of other things according to his Word.

To be clear, I’m not saying I’m perfect at this, or that I always follow the leadership of God’s Spirit in my life. But I am saying that when I do sense him leading me in a particular way according to his Word, and I follow his leadership, I discover time and time again what it is like to be a small part of a grand script that only God can write for others’ good, my joy, and his glory.

— David Platt

📌 Attention Worthy

• What is the secret to reaching the next generation? You may be surprised by Kevin DeYoung’s answer.

• The 50 countries where Christians face the most persecution. Let the World Watch List from Open Doors fuel your prayer life.

• A visit from Jehovah’s Witnesses causes some Christians to freeze up. Justin Taylor identifies 11 Beliefs you should know to prepare for that knock at the door. 

THIS WEEK’S COLLABORATORS:

Selah Lipsey, Steven Morales, Chopo Mwanza, Jairo Namnún, David Platt, Camille Suazo

MAKE YOUR LIFE COUNT!