The People There Will Kill You on Sight!

Mark Lockhart

“The story you are about to hear is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent.” If you can hear those words replaying in your ears then you probably listened to the Dragnet series on the radio. I did not listen to those radio broadcasts as they were before my time, but I did watch Dragnet when it was adapted for television. What a way to address worldwide missions, right? If you are taking the time to read this BIMI World, then I am fairly certain that you know the love of God, that you have learned to love the world for whom He died, and that you have a love and concern for worldwide missions and missionaries. Because of that love I would like to address some of these individuals and their works in a discreet way. I would also like to give a brief explanation for this approach. For the past 29 years, I have not shied away from sharing names, pictures, or places. Regrettably, there have been times in which, apparently, the enemy seems to have quickly made efforts to overcome those same individuals whom God used to encourage so many. Those same stories and faces that encouraged missionaries to fight the good fight and challenged so many churches and individuals to sacrifice in order to fulfil the Great Commission have at times resulted in shipwreck. The Apostle Paul in writing his first letter to the church at Corinth expressed concern even for himself. But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway (1 Corinthians 9:27). In the following chapter, Paul expressly addresses the fact that God even uses the shipwrecked as examples from whom we need to learn.

The Apostle Paul helps us to understand many principles about the work of missionaries. Ultimately, Paul says that it is God Who gives the increase. Nonetheless, God allows and desires for His children to participate in His work. The results of missionaries and churches participating together are what provide miraculous true-life stories that quickly bring tears to our eyes and joy to our hearts. Often times, these missionaries are unknown or in some cases need to labor in the shadows. The eleventh chapter of the book of Hebrews relates the stories of many of these faithful saints who received and stood for truth, despite the price of doing so. Many were mocked, beaten, stoned, and martyred. Hebrews 11:38, reads (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. Their names are not mentioned and the world is not worthy of them; however, they are worthy to be considered. They are our heroes of faith and commitment and still today remain examples for us. In like manner today, some missionaries serve in obscurity because they could be in danger. The next chapter of Hebrews illustrates that we have a great cloud of witnesses to look to for encouragement. Whether they be the Christians spoken of in Hebrews chapter eleven or those serving in Mexico, Central America, or Asia, these wonderful missionaries have a common enemy.

Remember Dragnet? Roughly five years ago, a man we will call “John” shared his burden for the salvation of a certain group that had no church and no one attempting to reach them. He told his BIMI missionary/pastor what he believed God wanted him to do. As he began to talk to his pastor, a godly man and desirous to help, the pastor listened intently and contemplated how he could serve his future missionary. The missionary/pastor was listening and thinking and not making comments. John stopped mid-sentence. Looking directly into the eyes of his pastor, John sternly said, “Pastor, you cannot go with me! The people there will kill you on sight!” Wow! This is sounding more and more like Dragnet, right? Surely, we can imagine that the pastor was happy that he was only thinking and not speaking. Where has the story gone from then?

John and his wife, we will call her “Esther,” said goodbye to their families, bid farewell to their church, and headed off to that distant place. One may ask, why would they not kill John and Esther? Well, there was never any guarantee that the people would not; however, John was born there and that is the place of his upbringing. John had suffered extreme poverty, a broken home, and the tragedy of every imaginable vice that people without Christ could possibly struggle through.

Where are John and Esther? We cannot tell and the reason will soon be apparent, but not so far away as one might assume. One will become intrigued by their story and will desire to see pictures, but John and Esther have been forbidden to take pictures or videos. At least, they cannot share them. Even with some uncertainty where they would live, John and Esther arrived to the place that God had called them. They located a wood cabin with a dirt floor and a deteriorating roof, but they determined it would suffice. They were required by the community to disclose precisely what they were doing. John and Esther have been confronted by local security forces on numerous occasions. They have felt threatened, but God has miraculously protected them. Their stories are many, and time would fail me to tell of the same people of the community providing a six-bedroom house, rent free, with tiled floors and a fenced area for numerous chickens that are shared with neighbors. Or of the time John and Esther and other Christians were spared from persecution because of a cold Coke that John shared. Or of the time that opposing factions showed up in town and threatened the residents and Esther stated, “God called us here, I will not leave! If we die, we die, but I will die doing the will of God!”

Space will not allow me to expound on all of the details of John’s most recent privileges as he was led into the jungle to preach. Yes, there are jungles in Central America and Mexico. John went to preach to a group of 30 men and 10 women who were deep in the jungle due to their questionable activities. Some of those men and women wept and prayed with John as they wanted to receive Christ as their personal Savior. John later said, “I can only pray for the confirmation of their salvation. I may never be able to see these individuals again, but I pray that I will see them in heaven.” As they descended from the jungle mountains, his guide shared a startling revelation.

Allow me to introduce his guide. We will call him “Nathan.” Nathan is John’s first convert, and Nathan was the former leader of the unofficial local security forces. Nathan has been faithful to attend church services with John and has steadily grown in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. Nathan’s wife and children have also been saved, and all of them have been baptized and are being faithful to church and memorizing scripture. Nathan told John that he could no longer in good conscience continue as chief of local security. Nathan has opted to be a disciple of Jesus and of John, just as Timothy was a disciple of Jesus and Paul.

Now that you have met Nathan, permit me to return to our story of John and Nathan’s descent from the jungle mountain. Nathan began to weep and requested that John stop the vehicle because he wanted to pray and he had something that he needed to say. “John, while I was chief of security across several of these mountain peaks, I made a lot of enemies. Some of them were sitting in that clearing while you preached. I once brought them anger and threats but praise be to God, today I brought them the Gospel. John, I was afraid but now I am rejoicing because of what God has done.”

A couple of great missionaries and a young pastor (Paul, Silas, and Timothy) made an important request of a missionary-minded church in Thessalonica—Brethren, pray for us (1 Thessalonians 5:25). While churches, pastors, and missionaries partner together to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth, we must understand that heroes of the faith still live, walk, and work among us. In verse 17 of the same chapter, Paul, Silas, and Timothy made this request, Pray without ceasing.

Similar stories are being lived out all over the world just because you give, care, and pray.