“Go beyond your comfort zone, your people group or your Jerusalem,” Henry Phan encouraged participants during the 2023 New Mexico Evangelism Conference, held at Sandia Baptist Church Albuquerque.
“We are all sojourners on this earth,” said Phan, a member of the International Mission Board’s Diaspora Coalition. He spoke about his life in Vietnam, describing his family’s rescue during the Vietnam War and his worldwide ministry since.
Military helicopters rescued his family and the orphans with them as they evacuated, he noted during the Feb. 27–28 event. They were in a circle praying when two helicopters landed beside them, rushed them inside and flew them to safety. Some 30 people were rescued that day.
At Phan’s request, Tan Thai of Vietnamese Baptist Church in Albuquerque gave his testimony about the congregation, which started as a Bible study and became a mission of Crestview Baptist Church. Thai said God put the desire in the heart of believers to reach out to their people group, and the church now has three congregations.
Phan grew up with missionary parents who served in some of Vietnam’s remotest areas, translated the Bible into local dialects and started churches. He has worked most of his adult life with diaspora missions, which refers to the movement, migration, settlement or scattering of people away from their indigenous homeland.
Expanding your borders
Emphasizing Acts 8, Phan said “we should leave our comfort zone” to share Jesus. As Christians go about their daily life they should fight against prejudices and instead go out with intentionality and obedience.
He encouraged listeners to be obedient to the Holy Spirit.
“If God sends you out, like He sent Phillip out, then go,” Phan said. “If you sense the Holy Spirit sending you to reach out to the nations, then do it.”
Concluding by saying believers should go out and fulfill the Great Commission, Phan encouraged the audience to do as Phillip did in Acts 8:40 when he traveled about preaching the gospel in towns along the way.
“Go out beyond your Jerusalem,” Phan said.
Keynote messages and breakout sessions of the 2023 NMEC are available at listen.bcnm.com.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Joy Pittman and originally published by the Baptist New Mexican.
