I really began to ponder the insensitive nature we Christians display at times concerning the plight of our brethren, and I must admit that I am guilty of the “out of sight out of mind” mentality that has hindered the church from fully understanding the gravity of Christian persecution throughout the world.  Often we read the stories in the Scriptures about the early church movement or we may over hear in passing of multiply situations of adversity Christians are encountering outside the United States but it seems that we foster certain levels of detachment in our attitudes towards this matter. 

I recall watching the breaking news announcement on CNN concerning the North Korean government release of several Americans had been negotiated.  The profound moment for me was witnessing the emotional reunion between Korean-American Kenneth Bae and his family, after enduring a two-year separation.  Kenneth Bae’s family firmly seeking God’s divine intervention due to fhe North Korean government appearing to have the empowerment to imprison Kenneth Bae for as long as they desired.  It is evident that Jesus Christ being present with us during our adversity and it is in his divine favor to deliver us from danger.  In fact, it seemed as if this modern day return from exile and captivity unfolded right before the television audience.  The decision and call to physically go among the nations can be full of challenges, and life altering because it has the ability to impact the lives of our families, and those who are personally vested into our well being.

Obviously, the commitment expands well beyond the realm of individual, which does require the devotion and support of family.  In many ways, I began to relate the situation to how our military members and their families sacrifice a great deal to preserve our freedom in American and likewise the reality is our missionaries offering is equally great, as they pursue for the spiritual liberation of the families among the nations.  It is vital for the entire church to become actively aware of our responsibility to the Central Commission, which requires us to be vested in both financial support, and prayer for our brethren treading in missions.