FEBC Global

Why do we do missions, anyway? Why concern ourselves with people outside our immediate circle? Let’s consider five points.

1. The greatest commandment of all is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our strength. The second greatest commandment follows on the heels of the first one: to love our neighbor as ourselves. (Matthew 22:37-39) If we love God so deeply (with our heart, soul, and strength), we should be shouting his greatness from the rooftops. My granddaughter just got engaged and can’t stop talking about her fiancé. That’s the way it should be with God. And, if we love our neighbors as ourselves, we would be as concerned about their eternal destiny as we are about our own.

2. We all know that everyone has sinned, and everyone deserves to die. But life is offered as a gift through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 3:23 and Romans 6:23) If we truly love our neighbors, we will feel compelled to tell them about this free gift in order to rescue them from this terrible condemnation.

3. When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion on them and said, “The need is great, but the laborers are few. Pray earnestly, therefore, that the Lord of the harvest will send out workers into his harvest.” (Matthew 9:37.38) People are dying to hear good news, but there aren’t enough workers. Pray that God will send out more workers.

The apostle Paul points out, “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent?” (Romans 10:14-15) It’s a long chain of events that begins in the local church. The local church needs to see the need and send people from their congregation. Then, those people need to be trained to preach and share the Gospel so that people in need can hear and believe.

4. Before Jesus left this earth, he specifically gave the mandate to “Go and make disciples of every nation…” (Matthew 28:19). He didn’t say, “Go and convert the masses” nor “Go and make Christians…” He said, “Go and make disciples.” To make a disciple you need to have a relationship with that person. So, in effect, He said this to the disciples and is saying this to us today to go and get to know these people and build relationships with them. As you build relationships, tell them about Jesus. As they believe, make disciples.

Centuries earlier, in a great vision, the Lord appeared to Isaiah, asking, “’ Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then I (Isaiah) said, ‘Here I am! Send me.’” The children of Israel had wandered far from God and needed to hear the message again. God was calling Isaiah, and he is calling us today to a world that is dull of hearing and short-sighted.

Jesus called some men, who were fishermen, to follow Him, and he would make them fishers of men. After He discipled them, and before he went to the cross, He pointed out that he had chosen them to bear fruit. (John 15:16) They were not chosen for a comfy life nor an honored standing in the community. They were chosen to bear fruit. You can’t bear fruit by having no contact with the outside world.

5. Jesus did not leave them on their own; he promised to be with them always (Matthew 28:20). He also said, “My grace is sufficient for you. In your weakness, you will be made perfect in my strength.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) Before Jesus left, he promised the Holy Spirit who would come alongside and give them power as they continued to go to the farthest corners of the earth. (Acts 1:8) We will be witnesses with the help of the Holy Spirit. (Philippians 3:3)

Finally, everything we do, including the whole missionary endeavor, should be for the glory of God: to honor Him and to point to all his glorious attributes. The entire Bible points to Jesus Christ, Son of God, savior of the world, seated in the heavens. Someday, all the world will bow before him and acknowledge him as Savior. “A great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” (Revelation 7:9) And the angels, elders, and four living creatures joined them in saying, ‘Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.’” (Revelation 7:12)