“Shall your brethren go to war while you sit here?” (Numbers 32:6)

The Tribes of Israel helped one another fight for their territories in the Promised Land. We should help our fellow-Christians fight for survival today. It’s estimated that worldwide, every year, as many as 100,000 people are killed because they identify as Christian. In Pakistan, India, Nigeria, North Korea, many Islamic and communist countries, persecution is common.

Those of us who enjoy religious freedom have a responsibility to support our persecuted brethren. Open Doors, the Barnabas Fund, The Voice of the Martyrs, Christian Freedom International and Samaritan’s Purse are a few of the organizations you can investigate. Over a billion people don’t have a Bible in their own language. If you want to support the translation of the Bible into these languages, look into Wycliffe Bible Translators and the American Bible Society.

It’s good to pray for the saints, and donate money for their survival. It’s good to help organizations provide the Word of God to all nations. It’s wonderful to sponsor missionaries who start churches in foreign lands. Nevertheless I have one more thing that needs to be said: are you speaking to others about Christ? Charles Spurgeon chided his congregation that they were willing to help missionaries in heathen lands, but were unwilling to speak to their servants in the kitchen.

When is the last time you told someone about your relationship with Christ? If you live in a country where it’s legal to tell people about Christ, you need to ask God for opportunities. If you live in a country where it’s illegal to tell people about Christ, the same thing applies. It’s right and good to support foreign missionaries, but God has given you a unique mission field within a 10 mile radius of where you live.