“My passion for sharing Jesus keeps increasing,” Josiah said.

A discipleship-mission trainer from Cameroon, Josiah reported on how his church cluster was making disciples and planting churches among the least-reached.

Josiah said, “Just a few years ago, I was the only one directing a discipleship training program in our region.

But I thank God that now we have 8 programs, and 2 more small business development trainings. Today, we can count at least 21 new churches planted through these trainings.”

Church planting, equipping disciples, and using small businesses to support these efforts accounted for only part of Josiah’s excitement.

“My greatest joy,” he said, “is that unreached people are receiving the Good News of Jesus.”

The disciple-makers he’s trained had gone into northern Cameroon where the people were “just pagans” and completely without Christ.

“It was a very hard place to reach,” he said. “But we went and 21 people received Christ through our door-to-door evangelism.” Another village never had a church before—but they now do, and they recently baptized 17 new believers!

Josiah also shares the Global Disciples vision with other church leaders. He met with one leader who was so thin and sickly, he could hardly walk. As Josiah explained the vision and how training would help, the man’s face lit up with excitement!

“At last, God has answered my prayer,” he said. For years, he had been praying for a way to train and equip his people.

Josiah trained a director from this leader’s church, and they started their own training. When Josiah went back to visit the church leader, he was a healthy and active man! Why?

The leader said, “Global Disciples training has given me hope. I didn’t have the means to take the Good News to the people who were unreached. Now I do—I have a reason to live and I am healed!”

No wonder Josiah’s passion for sharing Jesus continues to grow.

At Global Disciples, we’re so blessed to be a part of what God is doing through Josiah and others like him in Cameroon, across Africa, and around the world, as they fulfill their passion and vision to share Jesus with least-reached people.

Global Disciples Canada is a Christian mission organization that trains local leaders living near least-reached communities to multiply disciples for Christ. One-third of our world hasn’t heard the Good News of Jesus. Yet. Global Disciples refers to these as “least-reached” people, and fewer than 10% of all missionaries work among these groups. We live in a time where many of these people are within reach of a local church. Through our simple and effective strategy of training and coaching, believers share the Gospel in their own nations and cultures. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” and we’re committed to doing just that. If you are looking for a Christian mission organization to partner with to become a better disciple and help make disciples, connect with us today!

Discover the power of prayer in your local community. Join us in this mission to make our communities better places to live in!

How to Pray and What to Pray for in Your Local Community

In our fast-paced world, it’s easy to get caught up in our own lives and forget about the needs of our local community. Indeed, some acts of care take time, effort, and money. These resources are not always available for every need in our community.

The good news is that prayer, which is the most important resource that you can share with your community, is free and can be applied anywhere and at any time. Even if you travel all over the world, you can still pray for your local community.

The wonderful thing about living in the freedom of Christ is that there are no rules about when, where, or how to pray.

We can pray in our hearts in a busy shopping center. We can pray with our voices while diving underwater. Wherever we are, God hears us and our prayers for our local community can make a difference.

When we pray for our community, we ask God to intervene and work in the lives of the people who live there. We are asking him to meet their needs, both physical and spiritual.

There are many things we can pray for our local community. Here are some suggestions for how to pray for your community:

When we pray for the Holy Spirit to reach the hearts of others, He sends people and situations their way that helps to awaken their spirits toward seeing the truth in God’s character. Our prayers stand in the gap for nonbelievers, asking God not to be silent towards their unbelief but continue sending markers their way to hopefully guide them toward the truth. It is a wonderful opportunity to be part of God’s evangelizing work!

True compassion goes beyond just feeling sympathy, as it also includes the desire to take action to alleviate the suffering of others. When we are compassionate towards others, we create a more caring and supportive community. When we live in a compassionate community, we all benefit.

Compassion is at God’s heart, as shown in Matthew 5:4. Another good example is Psalm 103:8.

The Lord is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger and abounding in compassion and lovingkindness.

There is no single answer to addressing social issues in our local communities. However, one important step we can all take is to pray for those who are struggling. Ask God to change the hearts of those who are causing the problems, as well.

Prayer is not a magic wand that will fix all of the social issues in your community overnight. However, it is a powerful tool that can help to make a difference. If you are concerned about social issues in your community, start by praying for them. Prayer also helps us focus on what God is calling us to do in any given situation.

It’s no secret that prejudice exists in our world. Whether it’s based on race, religion, gender, or any other factor, it’s something that we all must deal with on a daily basis. Some experience such discrimination more in our local communities.

Make it a point to pray for zero prejudice toward others. This doesn’t mean that we should ignore the reality of discrimination, but rather that we should focus on promoting love and understanding in our communities, seeing the worth and value in every person. When the Holy Spirit reaches out to the hearts of those who are being discriminative towards others, they have the opportunity to see their own desperate need for Christ which helps them to not see themselves as better than those they are persecuting. 

Recent years have been notably difficult for many communities. We’ve seen division and turmoil all around the world. It’s easy to feel like things are falling apart. But even in the midst of all this, we can still find hope (Psalm 46:1).

One of the things that give optimism toward restoration and peace is the power of prayer.

Prayer is a special way for us to connect with God and ask for His help. And when we pray for our local community, we can see His hand at work.

When the whole world feels like it’s simply crumbling around us, it’s easy to give into despair. But hope is a powerful force, and it’s one that we should never give up on. Hope can be found in the smallest of things – a kind word from a stranger, a sunny day after a long period of rain, or a whispered prayer.

And when we have hope, we can share it with others. When we share hope, it has a ripple effect and can help to create a more positive community. Psalm 91 shares hope with us.  

Complexity is a part of life, and it’s especially prevalent in our local communities. There are many moving parts, and it’s tough to understand what to do or where to turn. But when we pray for wisdom, we can be confident that God will guide us.

The Lord will give us the wisdom we need to face the complexities of our community. That wisdom will enable us to know how to best love and serve our neighbors to ensure clarity among everyone.

When we think about the future, we often think about our children. We want them to have all the opportunities in the world, and we wish them to be healthy and happy. As parents, it’s our job to do everything we can to help our children succeed.

One good thing we can do for our children is to pray for them. When we pray for the development and health of our children, we ask God to bless and give them everything they need to thrive. It is very possible that our prayers lead God to set plans into place that will cause people to cross paths with our children later in life that will help them focus on Christ.

Prayer is a powerful tool that can bring about positive change in our communities. When we pray for fairness from local leaders and officials, we ask for God’s guidance and wisdom to help them make decisions in the best interests of everyone involved.

We live in a world that is often filled with conflict and injustice, but the Lord is a God of justice and righteousness. When we pray for fairness, we ask God to intervene on behalf of those who are being treated unfairly.

When a community as a whole turns to Jesus and dedicates every aspect of life to Him, we say that that community is experiencing revival. During revival, crime rates drop, suicides become basically nonexistent, and gross domestic product flourishes. People enjoy living together in the same community and actively care for each others’ needs. Pray for revival in your community!

There have been times when communities have actively prayed for the Lord’s blessing and the result has been huge increases in soil fertility and crops. The prayers of hearts broken for Jesus can literally bless the land! 

Prayer is an incredible tool that can help us to improve our local community. By praying for our community, we can ask for guidance and wisdom from God, and we can also intercede on behalf of others.

Global Disciples Canada is a Christian mission organization that trains local leaders living near to reach least-reached communities to multiply disciples for Christ. One-third of our world hasn’t heard the Good News of Jesus. Yet, Global Disciples refers to these as “least-reached” people, and fewer than 10% of all missionaries work among these groups. We live in a time where many of these people are within reach of a local church. Through our simple and effective strategy of training and coaching, believers share the Gospel in their own nations and cultures. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” and we’re committed to doing just that. If you are looking for a Christian mission organization to partner with to become a better disciple and help make disciples, connect with us today!

Did you know there is no age limit to carrying out the Great Commission of Jesus Christ?

We don’t get to leave the mission to the younger generation just because you reach a certain age! And the youth don’t get to leave the responsibility of sharing the Good News of Jesus to the older generation.

The pages of world missions include the accounts of many men and women who actively served all their lives—even into their very old age.

As Global Disciples, our approach to training is appropriate for just about any age group.

Those who participate in our partner training programs are often younger people…but not always. In fact, in some places and cultures, a person with more life experience is better heard and has a level of influence the younger adults don’t have.

Age is certainly not a factor in God’s eyes as a report from a training program in North India reminds us.

The Program Director talked about Gowri, a woman in her mid-50s who participated in the discipleship training. While that doesn’t sound very old, you do stand out when you’re training a bunch of 20-somethings! And there was some concern about her going on outreach, and whether it would be too hard for her.

But when Gowri went into her time of outreach, God used her powerfully!

She was bold in her witness, going up and down the street, door to door, starting conversations, and sharing the Gospel with many people.

In her region, most people are Hindus or Sikhs, and often resistant to Christianity.

But the Holy Spirit moved in Gowri’s testimony and she introduced quite a number of people to Jesus.

The program director reflected, “These participants saw a great move of the Holy Spirit.

They were motivated and received the vision to reach others. And we have seen a great change in the community wherever the Gospel was given. About 20 people came to Christ, and 5 have already been baptized. And new house fellowships have started.”

Young or middle or older—your age doesn’t matter.

What matters is sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ. And that happens through disciple-makers empowered by the Holy Spirit of God, in North India or anywhere in the world…including right where God has placed you, in your home and community.

Global Disciples Canada is a Christian mission organization that trains local leaders living near least-reached communities to multiply disciples for Christ. One-third of our world hasn’t heard the Good News of Jesus. Yet. Global Disciples refers to these as “least-reached” people, and fewer than 10% of all missionaries work among these groups. We live in a time where many of these people are within reach of a local church. Through our simple and effective strategy of training and coaching, believers share the Gospel in their own nations and cultures. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” and we’re committed to doing just that. If you are looking for a Christian mission organization to partner with to become a better disciple and help make disciples, connect with us today!

The Gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ and His kingdom. It is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes (Romans 1:16). The Gospel is also the message we are to proclaim to the world (Matthew 28:19-20).

And, there are many ways to share the Gospel in today’s modern world. We can use technology, social media, and other platforms to reach people with the good news. We can also share the gospel through personal relationships and one-on-one conversations.

The most important thing is to be clear about the Gospel message and to be bold in sharing it. The Gospel is the power of God for salvation, and it is our responsibility to share it with others.

The way Christians communicate God’s truth has changed greatly over the centuries, even as the message has never changed and remains as life-changing as it was for Peter, Paul, and Lydia.

Christians have always been creative in finding ways to share the good news. In the early church, Christians often communicated through stories. Jesus used parables to communicate his message, and the early Christians continued this tradition.

Jesus Christ preached the Gospel throughout his ministry on earth. He did this through his words and his actions. Jesus taught the Gospel in his sermons, such as the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5). He also showed the Gospel through his miracles. And He healed the sick, fed the hungry, and comforted the sorrowful.

Jesus also preached the Gospel through his death on the cross. He died in our place, taking the punishment that we deserve. His death shows us the great love of God.

As the church grew and became more institutionalized, sermons became the primary way to communicate God’s truth. This was partly due to the fact that the church became more formalized and partly because the average literacy rate was quite low. Sermons were a way to reach a large number of people with the message of the Gospel.

In the modern era, Christians have a wide variety of ways to communicate, including through books, movies, and the Internet. This has allowed Christians to reach a much wider audience with the message of the Gospel. Christians are no longer limited to communicating through sermons or stories; they can now use any medium that they think will be effective.

It’s been said that the Gospel is “good news in bad times.” And there’s no doubt that we live in some pretty bad times right now. We’re faced with a global health crisis, an economic downturn, and a lot of uncertainty about the future.

In the midst of all this, the Gospel is still good news. It’s still the message of hope that we need to hear. Jesus said that when we hear of bad things happening, we do not need to fear because he is with us (Luke 21:13-15).

So how can we share the Gospel in these times? Here are a few ideas.

Would you pray that God would open doors for you to share the Gospel? And for boldness and wisdom too. Pray that people would be receptive to the message of hope that you have to offer.

The Gospel is not something that we force on people. It’s something that we share in the context of natural conversations.

So look for opportunities to bring up spiritual topics in casual conversation. Ask questions about what people believe and why they believe it. Listen more than you talk. And be prepared to share your own faith story when the time is right.

Your testimony is a powerful tool for sharing the Gospel. It’s a way of showing how the Gospel has changed your life and how it can change the lives of others.

So don’t be afraid to share your testimony with others. It’s a great way to start a conversation about faith.

Technology can be an excellent tool for sharing the Gospel. There are all sorts of ways to use technology to reach people with the good news.

You can use social media to share your faith story or the testimonies of others. Or, you can create gospel-centered content to share on your blog or website. Maybe you can even use technology to connect with people one-on-one and have gospel conversations?

Technology has an incredible ability to reach a huge amount of people of many different cultures all around the world. A word of caution though: While modern technology allows for even more personal, interactive discussions than older technologies, it will never be able to replace the rewarding experience of having a friend in the same room with you. We can have a deep, meaningful conversation with someone on the other side of the world, but that person will not be able to put a hand on your shoulder or share your meal with you. Technology can greatly enhance evangelism; however it cannot replace life on life discipleship.

Sharing the Gospel is not a quick or easy process. It takes time, patience, and perseverance.

So don’t get discouraged if you don’t see immediate results. Trust that God is at work, even when it’s not always apparent. And keep praying, keep sharing, and keep trusting that God will use your efforts for his glory.

The Christian Gospel message is an eternal message relevant to today’s world.

It is a message of hope, love, and forgiveness. It is a message that can change lives. And it is evident that to share God’s Gospel in today’s modern world; we need to be creative and use various platforms and mediums.

We also need to be diligent in our efforts as Christ Ambassadors and willing to put in the extra work to ensure that our message reaches as many people as possible.

Global Disciples Canada is a Christian mission organization that trains local leaders living near to reach least-reached communities to multiply disciples for Christ. One-third of our world hasn’t heard the Good News of Jesus. Yet, Global Disciples refers to these as “least-reached” people, and fewer than 10% of all missionaries work among these groups. We live in a time where many of these people are within reach of a local church. Through our simple and effective strategy of training and coaching, believers share the Gospel in their nations and cultures. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” and we’re committed to doing just that. If you are looking for a Christian mission organization to partner with to become a better disciple and help make disciples, connect with us today!

You’ve probably heard about “divine appointments”—those times when it’s clear that God set up a meeting or a conversation that will further the work of His Kingdom, or maybe change the trajectory of someone’s life for eternity.

Albert knows about divine appointments.

He directs a Global Disciples partner program in Zambia, so he sets up the training for a group of disciple-makers.

Not only does he lead the teaching sessions—training and bringing others along to provide additional instruction or share their experiences—but Albert also sets up where they will meet, and he makes sure the meals and materials are provided.

For a recent training, Albert recruited three local women to take on the cooking and feeding of the participants. And they did the job well.

A key lesson from the Global Disciples discipleship curriculum is about Making Disciples in the way of Jesus. And after classroom time, one of the participants decided to put what he learned into practice right away. So he started to talk with Muga, one of the cooks.

Albert said, “The disciple-maker asked her if she had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. But she was not a believer.” However, she was open with the disciple-maker about her life.

Muga was in her late 30s, once married but now divorced. And she had seven men in her life. They were each given a day to visit her, and she managed it so that they didn’t know they were all dating the same woman. She had help too—she used charms from the local witch doctor to trap and keep their attention.

But when Muga heard about Jesus, who loved her and died for her, and wanted to give her abundant and eternal life, she made a choice.

She gave her life to the Lord!

She gave up the charms to be destroyed and is seeing her life transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit, in the mighty name of Jesus.

A divine appointment—a conversation engineered by God to bring one more person into His Kingdom.

As His disciples, our job is to be ready to obey the prompting of the Holy Spirit and participate in God’s work.

Global Disciples Canada is a Christian mission organization that trains local leaders living near least-reached communities to multiply disciples for Christ. One-third of our world hasn’t heard the Good News of Jesus. Yet. Global Disciples refers to these as “least-reached” people, and fewer than 10% of all missionaries work among these groups. We live in a time where many of these people are within reach of a local church. Through our simple and effective strategy of training and coaching, believers share the Gospel in their own nations and cultures. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” and we’re committed to doing just that. If you are looking for a Christian mission organization to partner with to become a better disciple and help make disciples, connect with us today!

Imagine with me. What would you think if someone announced that, your congregation would see 5,000 people come to faith in Christ…each year? For three consecutive years!!!

Maybe your church dreams and plans at that scale. But, I would guess that most of us wouldn’t quite know what to do with that vision!

It would be exciting, wouldn’t it?

To see that many people find new and eternal life in Jesus Christ. And that they were being discipled to be effective disciple-makers too.

Samuel lives in Ethiopia. He was trained by Global Disciples to equip and multiply disciples.

For three years now, he and his church network have been training and sending out disciple-makers and church planters.

Samuel came to Christ as a teenager. He saw his whole family—including 7 brothers and 1 sister—put their faith in Jesus. Since age 19, he has served in the church.

He said, “We had a good ministry going. But it was not as strong as it is now with our Global Disciples training. In fact, in only 3 years, we have sent out 52 disciple-makers and church planters. In our network, almost all our leaders were trained by Global Disciples. And as a result, we’re reaching out to more.”

One strategy they use is to send teams from the discipleship training out to help and support the church planters in their new communities.

As part of their outreach, they join the church planter in sharing the Good News, discipling new believers, helping with baptism, and serving in any other activities to equip and build up that newly-planted fellowship. It’s a great way to encourage a church planter—and be about the business of multiplying disciples at the same time.

In fact, Samuel reported that in just three years, “About 16,070 people have been reached with the Gospel and come to know Jesus. We’ve started 8 new churches.” That’s over 5,000 people a year making decisions to follow Jesus Christ!

What God is doing in Ethiopia, He can do anywhere. And He uses wholehearted disciples of Jesus who share the Good News of the Savior. You can do it—and so can I!

Global Disciples Canada is a Christian mission organization that trains local leaders living near least-reached communities to multiply disciples for Christ. One-third of our world hasn’t heard the Good News of Jesus. Yet. Global Disciples refers to these as “least-reached” people, and fewer than 10% of all missionaries work among these groups. We live in a time where many of these people are within reach of a local church. Through our simple and effective strategy of training and coaching, believers share the Gospel in their own nations and cultures. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” and we’re committed to doing just that. If you are looking for a Christian mission organization to partner with to become a better disciple and help make disciples, connect with us today!

Corrie ten Boom once said, “There is no pit so deep, that God’s love is not deeper still.”

People who don’t know Jesus, who have never had an opportunity to hear the Gospel and find the hope and life He offers…well, they often live in very deep, dark spiritual pits.

Yet they’re not beyond God’s reach, they are not beyond redemption.

Luc, a Global Disciples’ Discipleship Program Director from the Democratic of Congo shares what God did when their disciple-makers went on outreach into their communities.

“After winning many souls to Christ,” he wrote, “our church planters entered the jail. They met Mr S who was a big leader of a gang of robbers.”

According to Luc, these were no small-time petty thieves, but a gang notorious for violence and criminal activity.

Mr S was their chief—he was in jail because he’d been arrested for rape.

Two of his right-hand men had come to visit him that day. Then in came these newly-trained disciple-makers!

God gave the disciple-makers grace in the eyes of these notorious criminals, and the three men all heard the message of the Gospel that day.

Not only that, but each one of them received Jesus Christ as his Savior!

Mr. S, the gang leader, testified about his life—his journey into crime, confessing his sins and all the terrible things he had done. It was a long story to tell, but he praised God for saving him, for reaching into his dark and sinful pit and pulling him out with the love and salvation of Jesus.

What a glorious story of redemption that took place in that jail that day!

Corrie ten Boom was right—God’s love is deeper than any pit we fall in or make for ourselves out of our sin and rebellion. His reach is long, and His arm is strong to save each person who calls on His name. And He calls us to share that message with anyone we meet, wherever we are today!

Global Disciples Canada is a Christian mission organization that trains local leaders living near least-reached communities to multiply disciples for Christ. One-third of our world hasn’t heard the Good News of Jesus. Yet. Global Disciples refers to these as “least-reached” people, and fewer than 10% of all missionaries work among these groups. We live in a time where many of these people are within reach of a local church. Through our simple and effective strategy of training and coaching, believers share the Gospel in their own nations and cultures. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” and we’re committed to doing just that. If you are looking for a Christian mission organization to partner with to become a better disciple and help make disciples, connect with us today!

Tripura was raised in a Hindu family in South Asia—along with his two brothers and a sister.

When he first heard the Gospel from a local pastor, Tripura put his faith in Jesus Christ. That Good News has changed his life!

His pastor connected Tripura to a local discipleship-mission training started with the help of Global Disciples.

Tripura said, “This training was very important for me to experience Jesus in my heart. And it was a wonderful privilege to share the Word of God with least-reached people.”

During outreach, Tripura was part of a team that went to share the Good News of Jesus in several villages where there was no Christian presence or knowledge of the Gospel. He was part of leading 4 people to faith in Christ and helping to baptize them.

In one village, Tripura and his team came up against a spiritual battle. He said, “We felt that an evil spirit was working there. The people worshiped idols and one girl was captive to a demonic spirit. The local witch and magician had tried to help her, but they failed.”

The pastor of the team told the girl’s family that he and Tripura and the others could pray for the girl—that in the name of Jesus, she could be set free! So, her father gave them permission to pray.

Tripura said that after praying, the girl was unconscious…and they were afraid! “But we put our faith in Jesus Christ. And after a few minutes, she woke up and asked for food. She was delivered. I thank God for that! She and her father accepted Christ—and two neighbors saw this and they also put their faith in Jesus!”

Not only has his life changed, but Tripura is now helping others find new life and spiritual freedom in Jesus Christ. He is eager to continue sharing the Good News of Jesus.

Tripura said, “Please pray for me, that God may help me to be useful in His glorious Kingdom!”

Will you pray for Tripura, and the thousands like him who are taking the message of Jesus to those who are waiting to hear it for the first time?

Global Disciples Canada is a Christian mission organization that trains local leaders living near least-reached communities to multiply disciples for Christ. One-third of our world hasn’t heard the Good News of Jesus. Yet. Global Disciples refers to these as “least-reached” people, and fewer than 10% of all missionaries work among these groups. We live in a time where many of these people are within reach of a local church. Through our simple and effective strategy of training and coaching, believers share the Gospel in their own nations and cultures. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” and we’re committed to doing just that. If you are looking for a Christian mission organization to partner with to become a better disciple and help make disciples, connect with us today!

With great excitement, Obed said, “God’s vision, and my vision too, is to see each and every person have the opportunity to choose and follow Jesus! It’s on my mind when I pray, when I sleep, when I’m awake. I always ask God to help me share with others.”

As Global Disciples, that’s our vision too.

In fact, Obed is one of the church leaders we equipped to develop and direct discipleship-mission training in his home country of Rwanda. He embraced the vision with enthusiasm.

Obed continued, “Since I started training disciple-makers, I’ve seen a great transformation.

In the first year, we trained 15 disciple-makers and 270 people came to faith in Christ during our outreach. In the second year, 14 were trained, and another 200 people came to Christ. This year, so far, we’ve seen 150 people come to Christ.”

Obed says, “It’s not the same as other trainings—it changes our lives!”

He talked about meeting a witch doctor who had 2 wives, and 6 children. But because of his witchcraft, five of his children had died, and then one wife left him. His only living son had gone mad, he was running around naked. While the boy’s mother refused to let Obed and his team talk to the witch doctor, but a neighbor introduced them.

Obed said, “We told the witch doctor we had heard of his troubles, and we came with Good News. He had heard the Gospel but feared that if he turned to Jesus, the evil spirits would destroy him.” The witch doctor mentioned a shrine and said that if the Christians would burn it, and he wasn’t harmed, then he would put his faith in Jesus.

Obed said, “So we burned the shrine, God healed his son, and the man came to Christ. And as a result, many others also chose to follow Jesus!”

No wonder Obed is so passionate about sharing the Gospel and fulfilling this mission. He’s seeing lives transformed by Jesus Christ and disciples multiplied every day.

First posted on https://globaldisciples.org/get-to-know-us/about-us/blog/

Global Disciples Canada is a Christian mission organization that trains local leaders living near least-reached communities to multiply disciples for Christ. One-third of our world hasn’t heard the Good News of Jesus. Yet. Global Disciples refers to these as “least-reached” people, and fewer than 10% of all missionaries work among these groups. We live in a time where many of these people are within reach of a local church. Through our simple and effective strategy of training and coaching, believers share the Gospel in their own nations and cultures. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” and we’re committed to doing just that. If you are looking for a Christian mission organization to partner with to become a better disciple and help make disciples, connect with us today!

Discover the rich history and importance of Sabbath in Christianity, its role in rest, worship, and spiritual well-being.

The Sabbath is a day in the week when believers take a break from their weekly obligations. They focus on God and worship Him together with other Christians.

It has a history that extends back to the creation of the world. In Genesis 2:2–3, God Himself rested after creating the world.

He wants His people to follow His example by working six days and resting on the seventh. This day is holy because it is a day that is set apart for God. It is to be used for His glory. 

One book later in Exodus, we read that God commanded Moses to tell the Israelites to keep the Sabbath day holy. Scriptures say that God rested on that day after creating the heavens and the earth, specifically in Exodus 31:17. The word “refreshed” is used in the Bible to describe how God felt after His rest. When we rest from work and spend time with God instead, we can experience the same type of refreshment. He considers rest for us so important that He even included it in the ten commandments (Exodus 20).

When the Lord delivered Israel from Egyptian slavery, the Sabbath day became a sign of the covenant between God and His people, per Exodus 31:13. This day was set apart by God as a day of rest and sanctification for His people. Some national holidays, such as the yearly Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16:30-31, occurred on a Sabbath, meaning that rest and forgiveness went hand in hand!

God considered rest crucial for our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. He did not want His people to become so busy that they did not connect with Him and listen to His voice. He also, being the perfect leader that He is, set an example by resting on the seventh day of creation. Our God is a God Who not only gives us instruction for holy living but lives according to these standards Himself.

In the Old Testament, sin needed to be paid for with the death of a perfect animal. Working on the Sabbath was no exception, with the penalty of disobedience having serious consequences.

However, the explanation does not end there. It continues and ends with the Lord Jesus Christ’s sacrifice in the New Testament. Once He died and rose again, the law was fulfilled. Paul wrote in Colossians 2:16–17:

“’…let no one judge you in food or drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.”

His point? We don’t have to observe these laws as the Jews did. However, we must still give ourselves a day of rest since God commanded it. Hence, today, while the majority prefer the Sabbath on a Sunday, it is now any day of the week you choose, so long as you honor God’s command to rest.

While in the Old Testament God gave His people laws for how they must live, sacrificing an animal was a way to be forgiven for disobeying these laws. In the New Testament, Jesus became the perfect sacrifice. Because He is Immanuel (God with us), His death was a perfect atonement once and for all sins. Keeping the Sabbath is still a commandment, but Jesus fulfilled the law and we now live under grace.

Grace means God has given us more freedom to determine how we live out His laws. For example, one Old Testament law demanded that God’s people not eat pork. Today, we are free to eat pork but are still supposed to be careful that the pork is fresh, clean, and will not make us sick. Today, in our freedom, we should still be careful to look after our bodies by not allowing harmful microorganisms into our systems.

Likewise with the Sabbath. We no longer need to all agree on which day to rest and dedicate extra time to worship. However, we are still required to worship and take time to rest.

Life can very easily become so busy that our relationship with God is pushed to the side. While we are free today to take any day as the Sabbath, we are expected to actively pursue rest in God and corporate worship with others, for the spiritual well-being of ourselves and others we meet. 

Too often, we see rest as an afterthought. We often may even feel guilty that we are being lazy by not filling each day with activities to do. However, it is very clear throughout the history of people’s relationship with God that He rests, requires us to rest, and uses rest as a way to keep our spiritual lives holy and reach out to others so that they, too, can discover His life-changing hope.

The Sabbath is valuable! Why don’t you give it a try and start observing a Sabbath day?

To learn more about the values of Christianity, join Global Disciples Canada today! 

Global Disciples Canada is a Christian mission organization that trains local leaders living near to reach least-reached communities to multiply disciples for Christ. One third of our world hasn’t heard the Good News of Jesus. Yet, Global Disciples refers to these as “least-reached” people, and fewer than 10% of all missionaries work among these groups. We live in a time where many of these people are within reach of a local church. Through our simple and effective strategy of training and coaching, believers share the Gospel in their own nations and cultures. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” and we’re committed to doing just that. If you are looking for a Christian mission organization to partner with to become a better disciple and help make disciples, connect with us today!