Sunday Highlight: October 8, 2023

Today, we want to focus our prayer time on South Asia and one of our missionaries serving there. We’ll call him Owen. This is a missions prayer time, but the story you’re about to hear has a good lesson for us on what being a follower of Jesus really means. Owen witnessed to an Asian man we’ll call Mark. He was a painter. But when Mark decided to commit his life to Jesus, local people would not hire him anymore. One local man in particular led the attack against Mark.

After COVID-19 brought lockdowns, food shortages followed. People were hungry. Owen and other missionaries arranged for food for some of the believers. Mark took the food but gave it to the man who had led the attack of hatred against him in the community. Owen said this: “Since Mark received the Gospel, he has learned to love and forgive, because God in Christ has loved and forgiven Mark.” Isn’t that a great example of what Jesus said — to love your enemies?

Friends, our church’s Cooperative Program missions dollars are a wonderful investment in changing lives for the better! Look how our investment in Owen has resulted in an Asian man like Mark having a great relationship with Jesus. Let’s pray for Owen’s strong ministry. And let’s ask God for more followers like Mark.