Mission? Isn’t there a great need in my own community?
1 Jul 2019
Reasons not to go No.1
There sure is!
The vast majority of people who live and work near you don’t know Jesus. And, if the Bible is to be believed, they desperately need to. But asking questions about where the greatest needs are may not be the most helpful questions. There is much to be done everywhere in the world to introduce people to Jesus. And every person in the world – no matter who they are and where they are – has precisely the same spiritual need as every other person in the world.
I think it’s more helpful to think about access. Not need.
Some people have less access to the gospel of Jesus Christ than others. Significantly less. Embarrassingly less. Here’s what I mean…
- There are thousands of “people groups” (clusters of culturally and linguistically related men, women and kids who identify through a particular view of the world) currently outside the reach of the gospel. Some of Jesus’ disciples need to live among them.
- Millions and millions and millions of people have never, ever heard the name of Jesus. How many times have we heard about Jesus?
- Of the 3.5 billion(!) Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists in the world, some 86% don’t personally know someone who knows Jesus. Who is a gospel-conduit to them?
- Some 63,000 human beings will die today in places where there are no churches. What is their eternal destiny?
- Jesus told his followers to ask the Lord of the harvest to send more workers to serve in places where people have not heard the gospel. Why do so few of us become an answer to that important prayer?
We’re talking about mission.
There’s a big difference between evangelism and mission. “Evangelism” is reaching people who need to be in Jesus. “Mission” is reaching people who don’t know there’s a Jesus to believe in. Both are important. Both are needed.
And, no surprise, most of us opt for local outreach, not global mission.
I marvel at how the Lord Jesus blesses unreached peoples through so few who “go”. Only one in every 20,000 followers of Jesus will take the gospel to unreached peoples of the world! It might be helpful to read that sentence again. They are ordinary people who know Jesus and are willing to let other Christians reach out to nearby neighbours while they serve elsewhere in the world. Jesus has forever changed their lives and they know he can change the hearts and destinies of others if only they hear the news.
Don’t stay where you are because there’s a great need in your own community. Stay because God clearly calls you to stay. And if He doesn’t, pray about going to make Jesus known in some gospel-starved part of the world.
-Simon Longden.
Is God calling you to join the mission field? Get in touch.