Go where the Kingdom needs you the most!

Jesus told His disciples to seek first the Kingdom of God. As disciples of Christ we are to be Kingdom people, proclaiming that the Kingdom of God is here. Jesus is King and, as His disciples, the question we should ask ourselves is "Where does the King need me the most", or "where does the Kingdom need me the most".

The Kingdom needs workers who are willing to work, and this is why Jesus specifically asked us to pray for workers that would be willing to go. I believe this prayer still needs to be prayed, because while many Christians enjoy conferences and concerts, the "harvest" in Europe is still not being harvested.

We're moving to Poland... but why?

Lublin, Poland

Poland is a country with a rich history and fascinating culture. Among the many European countries it is the most religious country because of the influence of the Roman Catholic church.

Even though Europe in general is getting very secularized, Poland is in many ways still holding on to biblical values, like saying no to gay partnership. About 58% of the population regularly come to church every Sunday, but still over 80% say they have never sensed the presence of God.

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So why do mission in Poland?
Even though Poland is a very religious country, it does not mean that they know Jesus Christ. They know what Catholic priests teach about Jesus, but they have never had an encounter with Him. This becomes evident when 58% come to church every Sunday, but still 83% claim to have never sensed the presence of God.
    Because of the strong Catholic roots, evangelical churches are often looked upon with suspicion. I believe, however, that even deeper than their skepticism towards everything that is outside the Catholic faith, is the hunger for experiencing that God is real.

Where does the Kingdom need you the most?
When it comes to evangelical Christians, Poland is a dry ground. Some might say this means that Poland is closed to the Gospel, but I choose to see it as a potential.

It’s like the two shoe salesmen that were sent to Africa to investigate the market for shoes. One wrote back to his company: ”The trip is wasted, and I’m coming home with the first flight. Nobody wears shoes here.” The other one wrote: ”Send me all the shoes you have got! Marked unlimited! Nobody wears shoes here!!”

Among the 2,500 municipalities in Poland, 2,219 don’t even have one evangelical church - and in these municipalities about 600 people die every day.

If people in those 2,219 municipalities should choose to seek salvation, where should they turn? To the Catholic church, where 83% say that they have never experienced the presence of God?

Many people think that Europeans are closed to the Gospel, but this is not true. In the secularized section of Europe people are just closed to organized religion, ruled by priests who time after time have proved not living up to their own rules.

It’s not that they don’t want to believe, it’s just that they have been exposed to a Christianity that has not given them any reason to believe.

In their search for something that can fill their spiritual needs, many have been to church, but since the church has not been able to show any spiritual power, they have either turned to other religions or concluded that God is a figure of our imagination.

The Gospel is of course needed in the Scandinavian countries, because it is needed everywhere. Let’s face it, however: in most Scandinavian towns there are already evangelical churches. In fact, many towns have several active churches.

Are there people in these towns who need salvation? Yes, absolutely! But if God should sovereignly choose to call some of them to salvation, He would have many churches to send them to.

What if God should sovereignly choose to call someone to salvation in one of the 2,219 municipalities in Poland; where should He send them? Who should preach the Gospel to them? Who should disciple them?
    It’s like Paul is saying in Romans 10:14-15:

”How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!”

Today’s biggest mission field
Today Europe is the biggest mission field in the world. In Africa there are many countries with over 10% Christians, and several countries with over 50% Christians.

If you look at Europe, there are 22 countries with under 1% Christians, and 11 of these have under 0.5% Christians.

In Poland it is estimated that there there are 0.2% Christians, which means that when it comes to the need of the Gospel, you can compare Poland to Saudi Arabia. The only difference is that it is perfectly legal to move to Poland as a missionary.

Today there is an open door for preaching the Gospel in Europe, but the question is: ”Where are the workers?” Jesus himself asked the same question in the John 4:35:

”Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!”

And in Matthew 9:37-38 He says:

“The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

Today many are doing missionary work, but there is still a big need for more workers - and in Europe it is the greatest. Then there are countries in Europe that need workers more than others, and I believe Poland is one of them.

To give an example, there are more missionaries in the city of Berlin than in the whole country of Poland.

As Kingdom people the question we should ask ourself is: ”Where does the Kingdom needs us the most”, and not ”Where is it most convenient for me to be”. Jesus promised that if we first seek His Kingdom, then He would take care of our needs.

So why Poland?
In short, you could say it’s because Poland is one of the European countries that really needs workers, but at the same it’s not one of those countries where you ”risk” your life if you move there as a missionary.

Poland is a relatively easy country to move to, and there are already many foreigners moving there every year; some because of work and others because of studies.

In Europe, Poland is one of the countries where the economy is growing fastest, and when it comes to mission, it is a key country in reaching the rest of Europe.

So ”go where the Kingdom needs you the most!”