Missions is not merely a program or a line on the budget, it is an expression of God’s own heart.
Before the first missionary carousel slide presentation, before the first quarter offering, etc. missions begin in the heart of God planning for the redemption of man starting in Genesis.
God has taken the initiative to make salvation possible to call man to himself. This does not mean that all men will respond, but that God seeks out all men the same.
If we are to understand missions, we have to ask what matters to God.
- God’s love reaches all people
- We cannot put people into different people groups like who will most likely respond to the gospel. We need to see people how God sees them.
- Just like the light from the sun reaches all people groups, the gospel of the Son is the same for all people groups.
- The Great Commissions did not just show up in Matthew 28, it is seen in the Abraham covenant and the Psalms as well, see Psalm 67:1-2.
- Is my view of missions as large as God’s heart for missions?
- God’s plan centers on the gospel
- The cross shows the seriousness of our sin and the greatness of God’s salvation
- We do not improve the gospel by changing it, we honor Christ by presenting it clearly.
- We should not reduce missions to a program that makes us feel generous
- God’s people are his messengers
- The command rests on the authority on the risen Lord
- We don’t go because we believe we can solve all the problems, we go because it’s the heart of God.
- The great commission is more than just making an initial contact.
- Missions is not getting someone to repeat a prayer and moving on
- Not every believer has the same role/job, but we must all be a part of the heart of God.
- Every role is different, but nobody should be treated as unimportant.
- Giving to missions does not negate the need for personal evangelism.
The question is not whether God cares about missions, but if we will care about what God cares about.
We need to pray and ask God to enlarge our hearts to align with His.
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