Wednesday, December 10, 2014

MISSIONS: Our obligation to the nations


Imagine over 6,000 people groups -- spanning billions of individual people -- who have yet to even hear that God loves them. Some of them have never even heard the name of Jesus.

Meanwhile, Jesus has given us, as His followers, a clear command: "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20, HCSB).

We call this command the "Great Commission" and the Gospel the "good news" of what God has done in Christ. We owe this Gospel to the world. As Paul said in Romans 1:14, we are "obligated" to tell the nations this good news. Believers this side of heaven owe the Gospel to lost men and women this side of hell.

But do we really believe Jesus was serious in His commission to us? And do our actions, our decisions, our use of resources and our lives show that we are serious about getting the Gospel to people who have never heard it?

"The Gospel is only good news if it gets there in time," Christian theologian Carl Henry said.

In order to get the Gospel to people all over the planet on time, the IMB is focused on exalting Christ, mobilizing Christians, serving the church and completing the Great Commission. Read more

See also
Repentance Entails a Life of Mission
What is your church doing to spread the gospel and make disciples not only locally but also globally? Do you think it could do more? How? What is causing you to hold back? What can you do about it?

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