Veteran Missionary Challenges Believers to Embrace Costly Discipleship

Faith Facts

• Patrick Fung, chair of the Global Board of Directors of Arise Asia, delivered a powerful message on the inseparable nature of joy and suffering in Christian life at the Arise Asia 2026 Congress in Manila.
• Fung emphasized that modern Christianity often avoids the biblical truth that faithful discipleship requires embracing both joy and suffering simultaneously.
• The address called delegates to surrender without reserve to Christ’s call, challenging comfortable Western notions of Christianity that promise blessings without sacrifice.

A veteran mission leader issued a sobering call to Christians gathered in Manila this week, urging them to embrace a faith that demands everything and promises hardship alongside hope. Patrick Fung, chair of the Global Board of Directors of Arise Asia and director emeritus of OMF International, addressed thousands of delegates at the Arise Asia 2026 Congress with a message that cut against the grain of prosperity-focused teaching.

Speaking on the third morning of the congress, Fung confronted what he described as a fundamental misunderstanding plaguing modern Christianity—the belief that joy and suffering occupy separate realms in the believer’s journey. His message challenged attendees to reconsider their commitment to Christ in light of Scripture’s consistent teaching on the cost of discipleship.

“Joy and suffering will always coexist,” Fung declared, pressing delegates to acknowledge this biblical reality that many contemporary churches have minimized or ignored entirely.

The seasoned missionary’s address comes at a crucial moment for the global church, as believers across Asia and the West face increasing pressure to water down biblical truth in favor of culturally palatable messages. Fung’s emphasis on unreserved surrender stands in stark contrast to therapeutic models of faith that prioritize personal comfort over sacrificial obedience.

His words echo the teaching of Jesus himself, who told would-be followers to count the cost before committing to discipleship. Christ never promised an easy road for those who bear His name—instead, He warned of persecution, rejection, and trials that would test the authenticity of faith.

The Arise Asia Congress brings together Christian leaders from across the continent to strengthen missionary efforts and encourage bold evangelism in regions where the gospel faces both cultural resistance and governmental opposition. Fung’s leadership with OMF International has spanned decades of service in areas where professing Christ can mean social ostracization, economic hardship, or worse.

For American Christians increasingly facing hostility in a post-Christian culture, Fung’s message offers both warning and encouragement. The call to surrender without reserve demands believers examine whether their faith can withstand opposition, or if it crumbles when discipleship requires genuine sacrifice.

The biblical pattern is clear: the apostles rejoiced even as they suffered for Christ’s name. Paul wrote some of his most joy-filled letters from prison cells. Early Christians sang hymns while facing martyrdom. This paradox—deep joy coexisting with profound suffering—has characterized authentic Christianity throughout history.

Fung’s address challenges believers to move beyond shallow faith that seeks God’s blessings while avoiding His call to costly obedience. True discipleship, he reminded the congress, requires holding nothing back—not comfort, not security, not even life itself.

As the American church faces mounting pressure to compromise biblical standards on marriage, gender, the sanctity of life, and religious freedom, Fung’s call to unreserved surrender takes on urgent relevance. Will Christians stand firm when faithfulness costs something, or will they accommodate culture to preserve comfort?

The veteran missionary’s message serves as a timely reminder that Christianity has never promised ease in this world. Instead, Scripture assures believers of trials that refine faith, persecution that proves devotion, and suffering that produces endurance—all accompanied by a joy the world cannot give or take away.

For those willing to embrace this costly discipleship, Fung’s words offer not discouragement but clarity about what following Christ truly requires. The gospel has always demanded everything and promised that in losing our lives for Christ’s sake, we find them.

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