This post is dear to my heart because I know so many people
want to know the Lord Jesus Christ, but they have scales over their eyes. These
people are like Saul and are searching for an Ananias like us to lay hands over
them and share the gospel. Here’s what’s interesting, they’re in our state, our
city and in our backyard.
Now, I don’t want to bash any mission ministry in churches.
I applaud missions, and I have a heart for missions. I think the focus of
missions has been misguided in some churches today (where we’re fulfilling the
Partial Commission and not the Great Commission). What am I talking about? Either
one of two things are the focal points when missions are talked about:
- Talk to your next door neighbor to bring them to church
- We’re going to share the gospel of Jesus, but it’s going to be in different countries
Jesus (when speaking to His disciples) said in Matthew
28:19-20: Go, then to all peoples EVERYWHERE and make them my disciples:
baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach
them to obey everything I have commanded you. And I will be with you always, to
the end of the age.
To me, everywhere includes going to people in your backyard
as well as different cities, states, regions, and countries! I remember when I
was a young Christian; some of us men went door to door in the city we lived
in. It wasn’t to ask them to come to church; the focus was sharing the gospel,
and also asking them if we could pray for them for whatever they needed. You
don’t hear much about that anymore.
What created this blog was a sermon a heard a few weeks ago
about this, and I thought about a conversation I had with a very good friend of
mine. My friend was sharing about how churches in the area where she lives think.
She said that the churches have a fire for God and sharing the gospel of
Christ, but it’s in other countries. What breaks my friend’s heart (and it
broke mine when she told me) is that there is a huge mission field in her area
(in fact, more than 55% deny the deity of Christ and are worshiping a dead
prophet). It’s been said that the churches in that region burn out in their
mission work to those who deny the deity of Christ in that area; however, I
have to pose a question that must be answered by us Bible-believing Christians:
are we sharing the gospel on our own strength? If we are sold out for Christ
and we are constantly in prayer, constantly fasting, constantly interceding for
anyone who is outside the body of Christ, there’s no limit to what God can do
if we would simply be obedient to the Great Commission.
So, if we have a heart for lost people, share the love of
Christ to someone around you. As we continue to hang with our typical group of people
enjoying our salvation and point fingers at those who are lost, dying and on
their way to hell, we’re seriously breaking the heart of God when He loves
those who are lost and wants them to know Him for who He really is.
No comments:
Post a Comment