Enough food is produced in the world to feed all of its 8 billion people, yet 1 in 11 go hungry every day and 300,000,000 people in 53 countries risk starving to death immediately (2025 Global Report of Food Crises).
Although climate change affects regional food production, war (currently involving 38 countries) has a far greater effect by disrupting infrastructure, displacing populations and destabilising economies ... preventing so many people receiving enough food. Christians are rightly concerned.
But there is another war: a spiritual battle for human souls. The weapons are lies against truth. Satan, the arch-liar, does all he can to stop truth from God permeating society, and to lead his victims into self-centred lives and a hopeless eternity. Are Christians concerned about that?
BeaconLight's experience is that many Christians caught up in conflicts and hunger seem much more eager to witness about Jesus, preach Christ and pray for conversions ... than some Christians whose bellies are full and lifestyles predictable.
Why is this? Have food security, money security and social security become the gods upon which we rest today and place our hope for tomorrow? Philippians 3:18-19 says, "... many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things." What we worship determines our destiny.
However Philippians 3:20 says, "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ ...". Often, those who have less in this world more easily find their security in Christ - if they know Him.
The evangelistic zeal of our impoverished believing friends in Africa and Asia is truly staggering. They are willing to put their own security on the line to explain the gospel to their neighbours, community, local hospital patients, and local prison inmates.
For them, to live is to serve Christ; and if they die it is their gain.
One pastor, in a gospel-restricted country, wanted many thousands of copies of CrossCheck in their language. When asked if that would be dangerous, he replied, "It will be much more dangerous for them, if they do not hear about Jesus and go to hell"!
In the same way that, naturally, we do not want to think about death, neither do many Christians want to think about eternal judgement. God's harvest at the end of time will be glorious for those who love Jesus and unbearably hideous for those who have rejected Him.
Jesus described sharing the gospel as 'sowing seed'. Without the conviction that sowing seed will result in a good harvest, no farmer would waste their time, money, energy or comfort. Likewise, when life is hard believers know that God is faithful to all who will trust in Him ... they sow gospel seed with all their God-given energy - expecting a harvest of souls to glorify Jesus in this life and the next.
Thank you for supporting this work. If you cannot go to areas of famine or war, please pray and give to support faithful believers there who tell others about Jesus. If you know the gospel, please tell it to those around you whose lives are blighted by their own emptiness and conflicts. Just sow the seed - it has life in itself - the Lord will use it in His way and time. Keep sowing!