 by Michelle Nalley | Matthew 28:19, "Go ye therefore, and teach ALL NATIONS, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and if the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." I read something yesterday that really bothered me so, I began to dig in the Word to find what God's thoughts are on the matter. The quote I read was "missions are good I just wish people would do missions here (in America) first." |
Well to be honest that rubbed me the wrong way for several reasons: First of all this comment was directed towards our ministry and we do missions here in America all the time! Every weekend to be exact. We are constantly going and sharing the good news of what Christ did in order for us to have eternal life with Him in heaven. We give up time with our families and friends in order to do that which God has appointed us to do with little encouragement from others.
Secondly it bothered me because it showed that persons biblical ignorance. The Bible, which is God's voice to us, commands us in Matthew 28:19-20 (and again in Mark 16:15-16) to "Go ye therefore, and teach ALL NATIONS, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and if the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." That Go here means to move or proceed, especially to or from something; to leave a place or depart; to keep or be in motion. So we are to be moving NOT sitting idly by watching, go is an action word it requires leaving your "comfort zone". That word teach means to disciple or instruct. So Jesus Himself is telling us to go and disciple ALL nations, present the gospel to them and when they receive Him as Savior baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost; then we are to direct and advise them to obey all that Christ commanded us in His Word (one of them being to GO) and He would always be with us! Now just those two verses make it pretty plain to me but, God gave me more.
How do we think the gospel reached us? How did the the plan of Salvation leave Jerusalem where it originated? The answer is the disciples (the original 11 with Matthias replacing Judas) took that command seriously. They also took what JESUS told them in Acts 1:8 seriously when He said, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and into the uttermost part of the earth." So Jesus tells them you will bear witness to the truth of my death, burial and resurrection to not only Jerusalem, the city where they lived and were from; but also to all Judea which was their land (kind of like their county); but also to your neighboring countries that you may not like in Samaria, and to the most remote, extremities, and the farthest ends of the earth! He told them to spread the gospel and to essentially make other disciples, like Paul for instance (Acts 13:2), who would go and tell others about Jesus. That is how we know anything about Christ at all! If people hadn't come to the United States and evangelized this nation we wouldn't know about Christ and Salvation either! The Bible reiterates this point again over in Luke 24:46-47, "And said unto them, 'thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among ALL nations, beginning at Jerusalem."
Now the last point that I want to make is how selfish is it of us to want to hoard the gospel for ourselves or just our country? There are people across the world who don't know Jesus, who have never heard of Him, or who have never heard the gospel simply explained to them in a way that they understand it. So, that brings me to my final set of verses found in Romans 10:14-15; 17. They simply say, "How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things'." Ok I'm going to stop here because I need to explain if you look up that word preacher and preach here it means, an apostle or teacher; one who proclaims the divine truth; so in that since, we can all be preachers. But, don't take that wrong I know a woman is not called to be a pastor or under-shepherd of a church! But we all male or female are enable to share the Gospel to a lost and dying world.
Romans 10:17 says, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." This last verse simply says they can trust in Christ and what He's done by hearing the doctrine and precepts of God taught to them. And they will only hear that if people are willing to go and tell them!
In closing missions both local and foreign are important and commanded by God. And I would rather follow His Word and His commands than the opinions of others. I am to be a pleaser of God not a pleaser of man as told in Galatians 1:10. I love people and it is my passion to tell the world what Jesus has done not just for me in my life but, what He has done for them as well. It's my heart to let people know John 3:16 "For God so loved the WORLD, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life!"
How do we think the gospel reached us? How did the the plan of Salvation leave Jerusalem where it originated? The answer is the disciples (the original 11 with Matthias replacing Judas) took that command seriously. They also took what JESUS told them in Acts 1:8 seriously when He said, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and into the uttermost part of the earth." So Jesus tells them you will bear witness to the truth of my death, burial and resurrection to not only Jerusalem, the city where they lived and were from; but also to all Judea which was their land (kind of like their county); but also to your neighboring countries that you may not like in Samaria, and to the most remote, extremities, and the farthest ends of the earth! He told them to spread the gospel and to essentially make other disciples, like Paul for instance (Acts 13:2), who would go and tell others about Jesus. That is how we know anything about Christ at all! If people hadn't come to the United States and evangelized this nation we wouldn't know about Christ and Salvation either! The Bible reiterates this point again over in Luke 24:46-47, "And said unto them, 'thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among ALL nations, beginning at Jerusalem."
Now the last point that I want to make is how selfish is it of us to want to hoard the gospel for ourselves or just our country? There are people across the world who don't know Jesus, who have never heard of Him, or who have never heard the gospel simply explained to them in a way that they understand it. So, that brings me to my final set of verses found in Romans 10:14-15; 17. They simply say, "How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things'." Ok I'm going to stop here because I need to explain if you look up that word preacher and preach here it means, an apostle or teacher; one who proclaims the divine truth; so in that since, we can all be preachers. But, don't take that wrong I know a woman is not called to be a pastor or under-shepherd of a church! But we all male or female are enable to share the Gospel to a lost and dying world.
Romans 10:17 says, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." This last verse simply says they can trust in Christ and what He's done by hearing the doctrine and precepts of God taught to them. And they will only hear that if people are willing to go and tell them!
In closing missions both local and foreign are important and commanded by God. And I would rather follow His Word and His commands than the opinions of others. I am to be a pleaser of God not a pleaser of man as told in Galatians 1:10. I love people and it is my passion to tell the world what Jesus has done not just for me in my life but, what He has done for them as well. It's my heart to let people know John 3:16 "For God so loved the WORLD, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life!"
RSS Feed
