Sunday Highlight: October 27, 2024

Today in our prayer time, let’s focus on Central Asia. And let’s pray for one of our missionaries who serves there. We’ll call him Josh Oakes. We often say our missionaries tell people about Jesus. But how does that happen? You meet someone, say hello or something, and then…what?

Josh has been thinking about that a lot since he became a missionary in Central Asia. He says he uses what he calls “gospel hooks” that will help him direct talk towards Jesus. These “hooks” depend on the local culture, of course. That’s why missionaries study so hard to know about the people they talk to every day.

If someone mentions the weather — yes, folks do that overseas, too — Josh will start talking about God as the Creator and Sustainer of life. If someone mentions politics, often he talks about the fall of man into sin and why we need a Savior.

He pays attention to names because names are important in Central Asia. When he met a man named Abraham, Josh told him the good news that a descendant of Abraham came to earth to bring salvation.

In short, when you’re talking, make all roads lead to Jesus! Let’s pray for Josh as he stretches conversations big enough to include Jesus. Our church supports him through our Cooperative Program giving.