Daring

Mark 16:15 (NASB)

Go into all the world

Daring is not a word we often associate with Christianity. Yet, this was a required quality in the early evangelists. They had to dare Satan's world by invading it like sheep among wolves. Prior to the great commission, none of the twelve apostles had ever left Israel. They now dared to go out into foreign nations and lands full of strange customs, cultures, people, and dangers.

Peter and Paul were martyred in Rome. Tradition has it that Andrew was martyred in Greece, Philip in Turkey, Matthew in Ethiopia, Thomas in India, and Jude in Iran. As different as these men were, they all had one quality in common. They dared to believe that Jesus of Nazareth could save this fallen world. And they dared to die for that.

Today's missionaries need to be just as daring for Christ.