“may our creativity and ingenuity increase”
I’m writing to those of us who already have a passion to see the gospel proclaimed over the whole earth. There are many ministries around the world who promote engagement with unreached people groups. We know that the gospel must be proclaimed throughout the whole world before Jesus returns (Matthew 24:14). Our hearts break for those who have never heard and we long to see God glorified over the whole earth. Working towards the gospel being proclaimed to the “ends of the earth” is a difficult task. Today, in 2025, the places where there are no Christians to proclaim the gospel are difficult to access. Some are active war zones. Some places, it is illegal to share your faith and/or for someone to convert to Christianity. In many places the law allows the gospel to be proclaimed and for people to become Christian but in practice there is opposition; Turkey is an example of this.
Since the end of 2024, there have been over 60 people kicked out of that country. This is sad on many levels. It is sad that those people are not able to continue in the ministries that they have prepared for, prayed for, and labored in. It is sad that there are now even fewer people proclaiming the gospel of Jesus. Turkey’s population is over 80 million and there are less than 10,000 protestant Christians in the whole country. It is sad that families are now displaced and relationships are forced to be long-distance. It is healthy to grieve over this situation. Let us not compound the grief in our response.
A dear friend of mine, in response to this situation said, “may our creativity and ingenuity increase.” May we not be tempted to give up our efforts to see the gospel proclaimed in Turkey. Our God deserves the praise. People are in need of salvation that only Jesus can provide. I certainly do not have the answers but I know the response should not be to give up. Let us pray for God to lead His people in what to do next. Let us pray that the believers who are in Turkey would not give in to fear but rather may they proclaim the gospel with even more boldness. May God lead people (through job placement, family, and friendships) to live in cities where there are not currently any Christians. Pray for relationships to be kindled between those focused on Turkey and those who engage with closed countries so that we may benefit from their experiences. May this situation cause God’s people to grow in faith. May we have the same heart as Jesus. Please join me in prayer for Turkey.
'When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”’ (Matthew 9:36-38)