Grace Outreach: God is Not on Lock-Down

Earlier this year, the world slowly shut down. We began keeping to ourselves out of necessity, and everything changed in ways we never expected. Here, as well as around the globe, feelings such as anxiety, loneliness, doubt, and anger have been on the rise. At GFC, many ministry plans ground to a halt, while we looked for other ways to be the body of Christ in hurting and vulnerable communities. All mission trips were cancelled and many global workers returned home or were not allowed to travel. And in the midst of it all, social and political tensions have risen not only in the USA, but around the world.

I don’t think anyone would deny it’s been a heavy year. The pain we see around us is enough to break our hearts if we think about the magnitude of people affected.

Last Sunday, we as a church began studying the book of Habakkuk. In it he looks around in despair and says to God, “Why must I watch all this misery?” and God replies, “Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day…” Whether it’s the crazy days of early Israel, or the crazy days of 2020, God is doing a thing in our world, if we would but trust and look. Let’s look around at the nations and see that He is stirring up hearts and desiring to draw people to Himself.

Global Media Outreach (GMO) is a ministry that has been doing digital missions for years. And when the pandemic hit, their reach grew as people went searching online for answers, and hundreds of thousands a month visited sites inviting them to learn about the Good News. These are people in the USA and around the world, including in countries closed to mission work, who are seeking hope.

Being confined at home does not lessen the call Jesus gave us to create followers of Him. If the world needs the hope of Christ, and we can’t go to them, what can we do? This is one organization that crosses that gap.

We began the partnership with GMO to open the door for global ministry from right where we are these days – at home. Global Media Outreach reaches out to people on the internet and through social media, and connects people with “online missionaries.” These are people like you and me, volunteers who get trained on how to virtually disciple someone growing in faith. And though the connection is not face to face, it’s a real connection made with people hungry for grace and life.

I am excited for our partnership with GMO, with its made-for-these-times method of discipleship. People connecting with people. Believers reaching across physical and cultural barriers to share the life we have from Him.

If reaching the world from here seems intriguing to you, you can read a little more about what it’s like on our GMO webpage. If you feel a tug in your heart to learn more about being an “online missionary,” I invite you to take a next step and learn more. And even if not, I invite you to pray for the growing team of online missionaries from GFC.

God is not on lock-down. His Spirit is at work in the world even now. And we have a hope that exists beyond our circumstances, good news indeed to share with others.

Lois Martin, Outreach Director