GLOBAL MISSIONS IS FOR EVERYONE
GLOBAL MISSIONS IS FOR EVERYONE Devotional Materials for Oct. 5, 2014 Cornerstone Global Missions Fair
GOING GLOBAL!
JESUS SUMMONS ALL OF US TO WORLDWIDE MISSION
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
Parts of this reading adapted from Multiply by Francis Chan
-
Jesus, Matt. 28:18-20
As much as God wants us to reach people for Christ in our own community, He has no intention of stopping there. God’s plan to restore His world through His people in His time reaches into our neighbourhoods in Markham—and into every city, village, and jungle around the globe! God has called us as a local church to play a role in His plan of redemption, and since His plan is a global plan, we need to think not only in local terms, but also globally. In the New Testament, the apostle Paul makes it clear that God offers salvation in Christ to all humankind, but that we are called to take an active role in spreading the good news of Jesus around the world: There is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” (Rom. 10:12-15) Make no mistake, every Christian is called to be involved in spreading the gospel around the world! No one is off the hook. Paul’s questions should burn in our minds and hearts. We are not following Jesus fully if we are not concerned about the proclamation of the “gospel of the kingdom… throughout the whole world” (Matt. 24:24).
WHAT’S MY ROLE?
___________ Make no mistake, every Christian is called to be involved in spreading the gospel around the world! No one is off the hook. _________________
Once we start developing a passion for Christ’s glory to be seen around the world, we need to figure out what role we are called to play. No one is called to live a life that is separate from Global Missions. But this doesn’t mean that we all need to immediately start packing for the jungle. God may well want you to take His gospel overseas. Too many Christians discount that possibility too quickly. Some people are too comfortable with their current lifestyle and would never dream of sacrificing their comfort for
God’s glory. Others quickly assume that they are called to something else, something more normal. We shouldn’t make these assumptions. Have you ever genuinely told God that you would submit yourself to His will in this area? Right now, would you ask God if He wants you to pursue living in a different location on a longer-term basis for the sake of the gospel? Or would God have you join a short-term mission team that ministers in another part of the world? It may be a scary thought, but we have to trust God more than ourselves. We all need to consider whether God is calling us to follow Him onto the global mission field (whether short or long-term), but we have to remember that this is not the only way of working to fulfill God’s plan to reach every nation. If we decide that God wants us to reamin in the area in which He has placed us for the time being, then we need to be using our financial resources to further mission around the world.
____________ The question is not whether we will be working to spread the gospel around the world, but what role we will play in doing so. _________________
And even if we find our primary ministry in the people directly surrounding us, we need to be praying for our fellow workers in other parts of the earth. For example, would God have you commit to praying regularly for Cornerstone members who are serving the Lord overseas? People like the Maks in Tanzania, Nancy in East Asia, and our missions partners in Nicaragua, Honduras, and Thunder Bay (First Nations Ministry) need your prayer support today.
Your personal ministry of encouragement to such workers can also be a vital contribution to God’s work around the world. Have you ever considered writing one of our missionaries, for example? Words of encouragement along with updates on the latest news from home are more precious to those who are serving the Lord in far away lands than you realize. The apostle John wrote a letter to a Christian man named Gaius who had been helping missionaries as they travelled to spread the gospel more broadly. His words put our role in supporting God’s mission around the world in perspective: Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers in the truth. (3 John 8) In supporting those who serve the Lord around the globe, we actually become “felllow workers in the truth.” So none of us is beyond the task of global missions. We are all in this together. We all have a part to play. The question is not whether we will be working to spread the gospel around the world, but role we will play in doing so.
REFLECT IN THE LORD’S PRESENCE Take some time to ask God the following questions, listening for the Holy Spirit’s prompting and direction both now and in the days to come. Be sure to jot down any ideas of thoughts that come to mind, and then follow through on them as soon as possible. Lord, how specifically do you want me to be involved in your mission to the world?
Lord, what fears or concerns do I need to surrender to you in order to be obedient to what you’re calling me to do for the sake of Global Missions?
“None of us is beyond the task of Global Missions.”
GOING GLOBAL!
JESUS SUMMONS ALL OF US TO WORLDWIDE MISSION
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
Parts of this reading adapted from Multiply by Francis Chan
-
Jesus, Matt. 28:18-20
As much as God wants us to reach people for Christ in our own community, He has no intention of stopping there. God’s plan to restore His world through His people in His time reaches into our neighbourhoods in Markham—and into every city, village, and jungle around the globe! God has called us as a local church to play a role in His plan of redemption, and since His plan is a global plan, we need to think not only in local terms, but also globally. In the New Testament, the apostle Paul makes it clear that God offers salvation in Christ to all humankind, but that we are called to take an active role in spreading the good news of Jesus around the world: There is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” (Rom. 10:12-15) Make no mistake, every Christian is called to be involved in spreading the gospel around the world! No one is off the hook. Paul’s questions should burn in our minds and hearts. We are not following Jesus fully if we are not concerned about the proclamation of the “gospel of the kingdom… throughout the whole world” (Matt. 24:24).
WHAT’S MY ROLE?
___________ Make no mistake, every Christian is called to be involved in spreading the gospel around the world! No one is off the hook. _________________
Once we start developing a passion for Christ’s glory to be seen around the world, we need to figure out what role we are called to play. No one is called to live a life that is separate from Global Missions. But this doesn’t mean that we all need to immediately start packing for the jungle. God may well want you to take His gospel overseas. Too many Christians discount that possibility too quickly. Some people are too comfortable with their current lifestyle and would never dream of sacrificing their comfort for
God’s glory. Others quickly assume that they are called to something else, something more normal. We shouldn’t make these assumptions. Have you ever genuinely told God that you would submit yourself to His will in this area? Right now, would you ask God if He wants you to pursue living in a different location on a longer-term basis for the sake of the gospel? Or would God have you join a short-term mission team that ministers in another part of the world? It may be a scary thought, but we have to trust God more than ourselves. We all need to consider whether God is calling us to follow Him onto the global mission field (whether short or long-term), but we have to remember that this is not the only way of working to fulfill God’s plan to reach every nation. If we decide that God wants us to reamin in the area in which He has placed us for the time being, then we need to be using our financial resources to further mission around the world.
____________ The question is not whether we will be working to spread the gospel around the world, but what role we will play in doing so. _________________
And even if we find our primary ministry in the people directly surrounding us, we need to be praying for our fellow workers in other parts of the earth. For example, would God have you commit to praying regularly for Cornerstone members who are serving the Lord overseas? People like the Maks in Tanzania, Nancy in East Asia, and our missions partners in Nicaragua, Honduras, and Thunder Bay (First Nations Ministry) need your prayer support today.
Your personal ministry of encouragement to such workers can also be a vital contribution to God’s work around the world. Have you ever considered writing one of our missionaries, for example? Words of encouragement along with updates on the latest news from home are more precious to those who are serving the Lord in far away lands than you realize. The apostle John wrote a letter to a Christian man named Gaius who had been helping missionaries as they travelled to spread the gospel more broadly. His words put our role in supporting God’s mission around the world in perspective: Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers in the truth. (3 John 8) In supporting those who serve the Lord around the globe, we actually become “felllow workers in the truth.” So none of us is beyond the task of global missions. We are all in this together. We all have a part to play. The question is not whether we will be working to spread the gospel around the world, but role we will play in doing so.
REFLECT IN THE LORD’S PRESENCE Take some time to ask God the following questions, listening for the Holy Spirit’s prompting and direction both now and in the days to come. Be sure to jot down any ideas of thoughts that come to mind, and then follow through on them as soon as possible. Lord, how specifically do you want me to be involved in your mission to the world?
Lord, what fears or concerns do I need to surrender to you in order to be obedient to what you’re calling me to do for the sake of Global Missions?
“None of us is beyond the task of Global Missions.”
