Supporting Christ's Mission?
Scripture Reading — Matthew 28:16-20
“Make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
Matthew 28:19
According to a recent report, a major worldwide alliance of Christian churches sends out a full-time missionary for every 5,000 church members. It takes ten congregations of 500 members each to support one ambassador of Christ to the nations.
Yet two-thirds of the world’s people are not Christian. Reaching them is not easy, since many of them live within the 10/40 window—from ten degrees north of the equator to forty degrees south. This region includes heavily populated lands such as India, China, and Egypt, where missionaries often do not have direct access.
A missionary teacher, Ralph Winter, urges that Christians today should live on a wartime footing. In wartime, a nation devotes nearly all its resources to winning battle after battle so that it might emerge from the war victorious and free. In some ways it’s a helpful image for the church. The Christian church too is at war—spiritual war. We seek to win the hearts of many who do not know Christ, and to liberate them from the tyranny of Satan. But how many of our resources go to this important cause? Is our support more than an occasional donation from our surplus, or an occasional prayer for “missionaries in foreign and domestic fields”? The frontline of the battle for Christ’s kingdom is in missions. Do you support these dedicated servants of Christ?
Lord, thank you for all who are willing to go and share your love with others. Protect and bless them. May we show your love by supporting them. Amen.
About the author — Kent Van Til
Kent Van Til was a missionary in Costa Rica. He taught theological ethics both there and in the USA. He is the author of four books. The most recent is a spiritual biography of his grandmother entitled, "A Name for Herself: A Dutch Immigrant's Story." Kent likes to fish, hunt, make music, and entertain his grandchildren.
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