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Considering the world's suffering, the church needs more saints like Wilkinson, who dare greatly. But that daring must give due consideration to missions basics.

We also must remember that Americans in general—and Wilkinson in particular—have no corner on missionary missteps. As the cross-cultural missions force increasingly internationalizes in places such as Nagaland, Northeast India, and South Korea, we must be prepared to support—and humbly correct—one another, no matter what nation we come from, the color of our skin, or the spiritual gifts we exhibit.

We are not calling for missionary timidity, however. William Carey, the presumed father of modern missions, had his own Jabez-like philosophy: "Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God." And, over decades of ministry, he did—overseeing the translation of the Scriptures into dozens of Indian languages, organizing a network of schools, founding a college, and fighting the brutal practice of widow-burning.

Carey was part of a team and not a missionary lone ranger. Unlike Wilkinson, he spent long years studying, and coming to appreciate, the culture of those he sought to win for Christ.

Like Wilkinson, though, Carey became discouraged. His first wife, Dorothy, did not hear the same call and succumbed to mental illness. There were also persistent struggles with finances, illness, and a lack of converts. At a similar point in life, a humble Carey wrote in a note to his son (ironically, named Jabez), "I am this day 58, but how little I have done for God."

As Christ's frail followers enter the arena, we must humbly study the culture, persist in spite of painful setbacks, and heed others' hard-earned ministry lessons. Those who seek to serve as missionaries—whether in the 1st century or the 21st—invariably must take up their crosses. There are no shortcuts.

Copyright © 2006 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Previous Christianity Today coverage includes:

Jabez Author Quits Africa | Disappointments prompt early retirement. (Jan. 9, 2006)

Cover Story
Mr. Jabez Goes to Africa | Bruce Wilkinson expands his borders to include racial reconciliation and HIV/AIDS. (Oct. 17, 2003)

Never-Ending Gardens | Bruce Wilkinson and his son teach the hungry to feed themselves. (Oct. 17, 2003)

The Wall Street Journal report on Wilkinson is available online for subscribers.

CT's managing editor, Mark Galli, reviewed Wilkinson's The Prayer of Jabez and The Secrets of the Vine.

More on ministry in Africa and Missions is available from our World Report.

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March 2006, Vol. 50, No. 3