Most people believe that the dead continue living in the “afterlife” and need relatives to send things to them to make their afterlife better. People go to immense effort to keep the graves clean, “send” fruit, money, tea, and other beneficial things to the afterlife, seek the ancestors for wisdom, and do whatever they can to make sure that they please and take care of them in the afterlife.

Families believe that if they do not honor them, the ancestors will cause misfortune in their lives. However, if they fulfill their duties to the ancestors, blessings will follow the family. Almost everywhere in Asia, we can see people daily bowing down in front of shrines for the ancestors and burning incense for them, worshipping and honoring them. 

One of the things that we have heard many times from Chinese students is that they do not want to believe in Jesus because that would not be honoring to their family and ancestors. 

The truth is, they are right! People really DO continue to live after life on earth—either in heaven or in hell forever. The awful reality that many choose not to accept but also breaks the hearts of those who believe, is that all of their ancestors are in hell and that there is NOTHING they can do for them on earth to change their eternal existence now. 

The truth is, Asian people get it right! People really DO continue to live after life on earth.
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One of my Chinese friends excitedly accepted Jesus as her Savior, but a few days later came to my house with a question: “What about my deceased family members?” I winced, and painfully answered: “I think you know the truth about them.” She agreed with many tears, saying it wasn’t fair that they did not get to hear the Gospel. But a new desperation to tell all of her village about Jesus Christ began to grow in her. 

I was recently contemplating the whole cultural belief system, and the realization hit me of what the ancestors would say if they really DID come back to their families to give wisdom. 

The ancestors would most likely join our team as missionaries! They would plead with their families to believe in the name of Jesus Christ. They would want them to know the Truth of abundant and eternal life. 

The ancestors would plead with their families to believe in the Name of Jesus.
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Jesus gives the account in Luke 16:19-31 of a man who passed away and went to Hades, and miserably pleaded for some cool water to touch his tongue and that someone from the dead could go back and warn his family to repent. 

If ancestors could talk they would praise those of our friends who have believed in Jesus and often face persecution from their families, and would plead with their families to repent and believe in Jesus Christ. 

“Jesus said unto them, ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through Me.'” John 14:6 

Our hope at Within Reach Global is that the Gospel will get to people before they become “ancestors.” There are still multitudes who have never heard the name of Jesus Christ. This truth breaks our hearts and brings us to our knees, praying to the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into the harvest field.

Will you be one to answer the call with a, “Yes”?

Our hope is that the Gospel will get to people before they become “ancestors”.
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The post Would the Ancestors Join our Mission Team? appeared first on Within Reach Global.

There once was a fisherman who went out to sea. He loved catching all kinds of fish and tried to catch as many as he could each day. However, his Father had given him a dream to find a new species of fish that had never been discovered before. 

The man fished for weeks, months and years and caught boat-loads of different fish along the way. Each fish he caught brought him great joy and excitement! But he didn’t stop with those; he continued after the dream to find that NEW special species of fish.

People praised him for the many fish he would catch and even tried to encourage him saying, “You’ve done enough. Take a rest now.” They would say, “You’ve caught more fish than anyone we have ever known! You’ve made your Father proud.” But the man KNEW the dream His Father placed within him to find that undiscovered fish, so he didn’t give up. He would sail out to dark, scary, untraveled places of the sea, and at different times of the year and day, searching for that special fish. 

The man KNEW the dream of his Father to find that undiscovered fish.
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One day, he pulled up the net and inside sparkled a beautiful, colorful fish he had never seen before. He excitedly went and looked through fish classifications and found that it had never been discovered! He couldn’t contain his great excitement!

He carried the fish home to his Father, who joyfully declared: 

“This kind of fish has never entered the gates of our home before! Well done, my son!” 

All of those living in the house danced and rejoiced! They gave it a name and branded it with the Father’s identity. 

After the celebration, everyone expected the fisherman to retire or settle, since he had completed his Father’s dream. What they didn’t know was that his Father’s dream had now become his own. He responded:

“How can I settle now that I’ve experienced the deep satisfaction of finding and bringing a new species of fish to my Father and seen His joy? There may be more out there in that big, deep sea. I am not going to stop now. I won’t stop searching till the day I die.”

What people didn’t know what that his Father’s dream had now become his own.
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In the same way, our Father God has given us a dream to find unreached people groups and bring them into His kingdom. It may take weeks, months and years. We will have to go to untraveled, dark and dangerous places. People won’t understand why we don’t give up the search when we’re bringing so many people into the kingdom of God already. They may think we are doing “enough”. Each of those people we bring home to our Father IS exciting! But we desire to bring Him someone from a people group that has never entered the gates of the Kingdom of Heaven before. We can imagine the angels rejoicing, 

“THIS people group is new! No one sings in this language around the throne yet! Let’s mark him/her with the Father’s identity! Hallelujah!”

Even after we see a new people group become children of God, how can we stop and retire? The Father’s dream has become our own. There are still too many unreached people hiding in dark places, needing to be brought into the Light of our Father’s House.

We desire to bring a new people group through heaven’s gates to our Father.
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Unreached people are hiding in dark places, needing to brought into the Light of our Father’s house.
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How about you? Will you join us in seeing our Father’s dream become true to see every nation, tribe, and tongue found and brought through the gates of heaven?

The post The Parable of the Unreached People Group Fisherman appeared first on Within Reach Global.