Faithfulness in the M task

I have the great privilege of living and working in South Asia, an area that is steeped in great missions history. Many men and women have come here and “poured themselves out like a drink offering” (Phil. 2:7) for the sake of the gospel among people and places where it is yet to be proclaimed.

For many of these missionaries, the results of their work were not seen in their own lifetimes. Yet, the impact of their faithful obedience continues to be felt even today. Henry Martyn is one of these faithful workers.

In 1806 Martyn was inspired by the American missionary David Brainerd to leave his life as a brilliant scholar and sail from England to South Asia. He took up the task of translating the Bible into the languages of Muslim people groups alongside William Carey and his colleagues.

This Englishman was a talented linguist and translated the New Testament into Urdu, Arabic, and Persian. With his health failing from tuberculosis, he took his translation to Persia (modern day Iran) to sit with scholars and ensure his translation was accurate and complete.

Henry gave his Persian New Testament to a trusted comrade who ensured it was passed into the hands of those who needed it: the lost from Central Asia to South Asia who spoke Persian.

He died only a short time later, but the fruit of his six years of labor is significant today. Believers in modern-day Persia still use Martyn’s translation and there has been rapid growth among the body of believers there. Believers coming from Muslim backgrounds have greatly benefitted from translations of the Scriptures into their heart languages. This man, who had such a deep conviction about the Word, the seriousness of lostness and the realities of eternity, never lived to see these fruits some 200 years later.

This story of Henry Martyn stirred around and settled into my heart. Martyn was a gifted linguist but also a normal, average person just like you and I and so many other missionaries. These men and women of God had successes and failures, fears, doubts, mosquito bites, stomach problems but their ultimate trust, security, and hope was set in Jesus.

Martyn’s life was one marked by gospel urgency in light of the weight of eternality. Martyn is quoted for saying, “Now let me burn out for God” when he first arrived in Kolkata, a statement of utter abandonment of all things for the cause of Christ. I am thankful for his legacy of faithfulness. The sacrifices he gave were nothing in comparison to the joy he certainly experienced in the Son (Phil. 3:8).

Martyn offers us a picture of faithfulness to the Great Commission. On the field, we often say that success is not the results we see but rather our faithfulness to obey what God has told us to do.

God calls us to faithful obedience and calls us to trust Him with the results. Paul exhorts the churches to, “not grow weary in doing good,” and to continue because they can know their “labor is not in vain,” because in time they will reap a harvest, if they remain faithful (Gal. 5:9, 1 Corinth 15:58). Jesus used images of a farmer working in his field to teach his disciples that it is God who brings the growth (Mark 4:26-29). In the last days, the Father will welcome the saints into the Kingdom saying, “well done good and faithful servant,” (Matt. 25:23).

This task of making disciples of all nations is one that requires hard work, yet the weight of the results is not up to us. This does not mean that we disobey the teachings of Jesus and just not make disciples or plant churches. What it does mean is that we labor diligently, joyfully, prayerfully, and freely because we know that ultimately the fruit of changed lives, new churches are all in the hands of God.

By these terms, Henry Martyn was successful. He remained steadfast in the work despite moments of discouragement. Martyn could not have foreseen the way that God would continue to use his faithfulness for His glory among Muslims around the world for generations to come.

There are times in the throes of life and work in South Asia when I am tempted to despair that what I am doing will have no real impact. When I consider what God has done in the past and what He continues to do today, my heart finds a sure footing. Persevering through the difficulties, frustrations, disappointments can only be done trusting that God will fulfill his desire of people from every nation, tribe, and tongue worshipping Him. He has called us to faithfulness, trusting He will bring the growth.

We can be both encouraged and challenged by the testimonies of those like Henry Martyn whose lives were devoted to the King of Kings. How can we be faithful to what He has called us to today? Is there someone you know who needs to hear the gospel? Is there a new neighborhood to prayer walk and begin sharing the gospel in? Is there someone who has heard the gospel that we can follow-up with? What is God calling you to do today, this week, this month?

Let us be devoted as these missionaries of old were, leading lives marked by time spent at the feet of our Savior, in obedience to His commands.