Romans 15:20-21 “Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man's foundation: But as it is written, To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see: and they that have not heard shall understand.” These words were penned by the Holy Spirit, through the Apostle Paul, nearly 2000 years ago in his monumental letter to the Romans. They still ring true in the heart of the foreign missionary today. The foreign missionary is an invaluable asset to the body of Christ. They are the modern day apostles. They forsake the comforts and familiarity of home, and set out on an often difficult and even dangerous journey to win to Christ and make disciples of people who have never heard - or even had the opportunity to hear - the Gospel of Jesus Christ. These are the true heroes. My hat goes off to them. I honor them. I thank God for them.
Though not everyone is called to be a foreign missionary, we are certainly all called to missions. Missions is the great work and purpose of the church. It is the literal fulfillment of the great commission given by The Lord Jesus Christ before His departure into Heaven. Mat 28:18-20 “And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.””.
The Bible is a missions Book. The theology of mission is at the core of it. If you removed mission from the Bible, it would make the Bible a very small book. You would have to remove the entire New Testament, and a good portion of the Old. Missions is the business of God; the business of the church. The bulk of our efforts should be towards this end. I don’t know this as fact, but it has been rumored that missions conferences are some of the least attend meetings in the church. If this is true, it is a travesty. If it’s true, perhaps it’s because they’re about what we can give, and not what we can get? And if we go to meetings to just get something, what does that say about the shallowness of our Christianity? I pray this is not the case. I pray it is only a rumor.
We were blessed this past Sunday by our missionary friends Ron & Yvonne Mouser who are with World Indigenous Missions. They are missionaries to the indigenous villages outside of Comitan de Dominguez in Chiapas, Mexico. Ron spoke for an hour on their work there, and gave a powerful message on witnessing and discipleship. By the way, Chiapas is listed as a hostile nation on the Voice of the Martyrs prayer map because of multiple incidents of persecution against Christians. Pray for their protection and favor.
It was not so much what Ron said, but his anointing, passion, and life that touched my heart. I’ve had a heart for missions for about as long as I’ve been saved, but God spoke to my heart Sunday, and stirred some things in me. What IS the purpose of the church? What is the GREAT commission? I know there are other beneficial ministries, and I’m not criticizing them. But what is REALLY important? According to the Joshua Project, in the 1040 Window alone there are 6,197 unreached people groups, which consist of 2.82 billion individuals! That’s just in the 1040 Window! People who haven’t even had the opportunity to hear the Gospel!
Again, I know not all of us are called to go to the foreign mission field, but we are ALL called to missions. We must make prayer for missions a necessity. We must give our resources to this cause. If we believe the Bible, if we believe Jesus, if we believe everyman MUST be born again - this has GOT to be our priority. We may not all be GOERS, but we must be SENDERS!
Almighty God, give us Your passion and heart for missions! Lord, here I am - send me (Isa 6:8)! God, may we, your church in the U.S., be living sacrifices! May we be obedient to Your call! May we live with Your purpose and Your passion! Almighty God, may we not waste our time on earth in frivolousness and fruitlessness! May we be mighty warriors in Your service with hearts set on fire from heaven to do Your perfect will with all that is within us! Set us on fire dear Father with Your love and compassion for the unreached of this world! May your business be our business in Jesus Name, Amen!
If you are interested in learning more about missions, particularly relating to the persecuted church, I am an Area Representative for Voice of The Martyrs, and can come speak to your church or small group about this important subject. Any free will donations will go directly to Voice of The Martyrs. This ministry is completely separate from, and unrelated to, my pastorate.
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