Greatest wasted potential in the world

I read recently that said the Philippines was the greatest wasted potential in the world. I thought about it, and I absolutely agree!

What do I mean? I mean that God is doing a special work in the Philippines. He has given a tenderness and receptivity to the gospel message that is not often seen. He has prepared the way in this country.

It’s legally acceptable and even normally encouraged to speak about Jesus, the Bible, and eternal life. Schools, colleges, universities, places of employment, families are open to strangers who want to preach the gospel. Travel to cities and towns is relatively simple and safe. Even trips into the province and mountain are often not that uncomfortable. Most people can understand their own dialect, plus the national language, plus English – communication is not hard.

Let me give you our personal experience here on the Island of Bohol. We are a small team of missionaries, mostly local, one foreign. We are very busy and don’t have time to do all that we would like to, but God keeps opening doors.

For example, we approached the superintendent over all of the high schools here just to ask and see if He would let a visiting evangelistic team preach the gospel to his students. His response? He signed a letter that gave us permission to enter every single high school on the island and enter every single classroom and preach the gospel message. Amazing!

When do you ever hear of an opportunity like that? After that, we got bolder and asked him to sign a letter that said we could return and organize a school bible study and conduct evangelism every week. His response? He signed the letter!
Just this week we talked with a prominent local man who is also a Christian. He offered to open the way for us into three more colleges and one more dormitory housing 120 students. He was the one who came to us to talk!

Another college administrator asked us a few days ago to inform him any time we could conduct a spiritual activity on his campus. On the islands of Negros and Leyte, the high schools are calling our missionaries there and asking them to come and help their students! In Tagum city in Mindanao there is open door after open door. These are just a few very recent examples, and the stories could just go on and on.

So, what am I saying? I’m saying that the harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few. The harvest is plenteous, the harvest is ready, but it’s not all being reaped. Why? The labourers are few. Could we join together and obey God’s command to pray to the Lord of the harvest? Could we all present ourselves to God and be ready and willing to be the one to go if He should speak? Could we be willing to sacrifice some personal comfort in order to support a local or foreign missionary whom God has chosen to send?

We don’t know how long God will allow such wonderful doors to be open. I believe if we don’t do something about this now, we will be deeply grieved when we realize what has been lost for eternity, and that’s what is – eternal loss never to be regained.