As I study through the Word, I am often captivated by the narratives of individuals who exhibit an unwavering commitment to the purpose and calling of God. These biblical characters, courageous as well as flawed, provide powerful examples of what it means to remain focused and steadfast in their faith and in fulfilling their divine mission.
I love reading the histories of these individuals—heroes of the faith, I call them—in both the Old and New Testaments. My favorite “stories” from the Old Testament ground me in the essentials of God’s presence and the power of his Word at work in me. They teach me the necessities of facing opposition to build my faith and the lessons of avoiding distractions to remain focused on his call. In their struggles, I witness the evidence of faith that is strategic in building character, and I recognize divine determination that commits to the task of being on mission.
In the Gospels, Jesus issued the foundational mission directive to his disciples as he charged them with the Great Commission: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. . .” (Matthew 28:19–20 NIV).
The Apostle Paul is one of those heroes in the faith who rises in the New Testament and submits to that commissioning call of Jesus. He becomes the active witness recording his “story” of what we recognize as being “unwavering on mission.” In his letter to the Philippians, he writes, “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13–14).
As we read the narratives of Paul’s evangelistic and discipleship ministry recorded in the book of Acts and through his own letters (the Pauline Epistles), we find the same kind of unwavering narratives and “stories” as those from the Old Testament—stories of presence, Word, focus, faith, determination, and commitment. Paul’s declaration, his desire, is to “know” Christ (Philippians 3:10). Paul’s example, as well as his encouragement, is to walk so closely to the Lord so as to discern his Lord’s calling and purpose without wavering.
So, Acts 21 provides an interesting challenge as a prophetic voice speaks by the Holy Spirit regarding what is waiting for Paul in his immediate future—to be bound and delivered to those who would cause him harm (v. 11).
Those who loved him passionately attempted to dissuade him from his journey. Paul, so long ago committed to service, could now only respond, “I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 21:13). He did not consider his own life of greater value, but desired instead that he might complete with joy the ministry which he had received from the Lord Jesus—to testify of the gospel of the grace of God (Acts 20:24).
We know the history of what follows as Paul returns to Jerusalem. He is indeed captured, arrested, bound, beaten, endured murder attempts and death plots, extradited from one trial after another, and then imprisoned.
This commitment to being “unwavering on mission” does not come in the moment of crisis; it is built on a lifetime of obedience and submission to the cause of Christ.
Recently, while meeting with our Ukrainian pastors on our weekly Zoom, I heard the weariness of the effects of war and the frustration of serving in ministry among the daily challenges of many military campaigns—i.e., transitional and temporary buildings, property damages, a congregation constantly in flux, injuries, deaths, etc. The pastors and the people they serve are regularly in responsive crises. Our pastors continue to shepherd and bring stability; however, our congregations have yet to experience stability and connection for any length of time before everything is gone again.
As I listened to their testimonies and heard their commitment to trust in the cause of the gospel, my heart began to rehearse the passage found in Habakkuk 3:17–19. This is a familiar word of encouragement that is spoken right in the middle of crisis:
Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.
The prophet brings our attention to the challenge of overcoming not just one calamity, but one after another, after another, after another, and all of them mounting (ascending) to hopeless dread. Some scholars call this syndrome “compounded grief” or “grief overload.” We are witnesses to this same kind of grief overload; what we find throughout Scripture, we are seeing in the testimony of the lives of those committed to remain on mission within our global family.
This past year we witnessed our national bishop attacked in the city streets by an anti-Christian religious mob who not only beat him but attempted to burn him alive. He not only miraculously escaped, but he also immediately relocated in that very nation to continue to encourage the ministry of the gospel of Christ and to provide leadership and ministry training in that nation.
Also, in this past year, several of our pastors have been attacked in India. Perhaps you remember the photograph of our pastor after being attacked. Receiving trauma to his body, the loss of his home and ministry, he was left nearly unrecognizable with a bloody and lacerated face. In another incident, one of our female pastors had been given the agricultural gift of goats by donors to support her ministry and provide sustainable income. An anti-Christian mob attacked her home, beat and abused her, killed the goats, and did much damage to her home.
Again, in the past year, we suffered an unbelievable loss. In Myanmar, many of our people have suffered violence due to the military coup that continues. With two of our three orphanages located in a politically charged larger city, we transported all the children to the remaining orphanage site in a quieter village hoping to provide a safer environment. One morning, after providing breakfast to all our orphanage children, one of our leaders of the children’s home was walking to a community home to lead a morning Bible study. As she passed through the streets, with no provocation, a soldier lifted his gun and shot her dead in the street.
There are abundant testimonies among our global family that align with this unwavering commitment to the purpose and calling of God. We are blessed with living testimonies of courageous, as well as flawed, global leaders who provide powerful examples of what it means to remain focused and steadfast in their faith and in fulfilling their divine mission.
Many of these have lived through the kind of desperate loss and despair declared in the first portion of the Habakkuk passage above and now being experienced in Ukraine. As a global family, we have read and possibly heard their “stories” of disappointment in expected seasons of service.
And yet, we also witness their declaration of faith and joy in their submission in ministry service. We will indeed rejoice in the Lord! We will indeed remain joyful in God our Savior. He is our strength, and we will remain unwavering on mission.
As you read through the following pages of this March Mission Drive issue of the White Wing Messenger—filled with the testimonies and stories of ministries sharing the gospel of Christ and points of reconciling this world to Christ—please pray prayers for God’s steadfast love and purposed calling so that our global family will continue to stand unwavering on mission!
- Rev. Cathy Payne, DMin, Global Missions Coordinator — Dr. Cathy Payne coordinates Global Missions Ministries for the Church of God of Prophecy internationally and has ministered in more than 100 nations over the years. Cathy obtained a Master of Divinity from Pentecostal Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. She is currently working toward a Doctor of Philosophy degree with Bangor University in South Wales, U.K. Cathy has one son and five grandchildren.