Why do we go?

Sorry, I did it again. I promised I wouldn't, and then I did. Life has been so busy! I really am trying to keep up with this!


So, I have been asked this question so many times, and because I am in the middle of preparing for a second overseas trip, I thought I would go ahead and address it the best that I can: Why do we go overseas to work when there is so much need in America?

Well, that is a very good point. There are people who are homeless in America. There are people who are hungry in America. There are people who are sick in America. There are people who are trafficked in America. There are people who are hurting in America. There are people who do not know Jesus in America. But these people also exist in other parts of the world as well, and unlike America, there are not people there willing to help them or to tell them about Jesus.

This map shows the percentages of the world population that profess to be Christian. Theoretically, the darker the purple is on the map, the greater the percentage people there are that are believers. There is a HUGE, MASSIVE, GIGANTIC part of the world between 0-10% on this map. It is called the 10-40 window. The people who live here are considered unreached, meaning they may never meet a Christian or hear about Jesus in their lifetime. Their religion is anything from Islam to Buddhism to Atheism depending on their location.

So, why don't we just let them go on believing what they believe? Because Jesus told us to go.

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20

This is the last thing Jesus tells us. He says "go therefore;" or, because of my death and resurrection and the life you have because of me, go and tell others so that they can have life, too! Our response to knowing Christ and finding life in Him is to go to all nations and tell them about who He is!

"For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23) and "the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23).

These people don't have any hope if we don't tell them. And we don't have to do it alone, Christ does it with us. He promises He is with us always as we go!

"Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Your possession." Psalm 2:8

Amen.

So, by saying all of this am I trying to discredit mission efforts in America? By no means! It is just as important that the Church works in America to proclaim who God is and how God loves. I am just saying, I feel called to go because God has given me a heart for people who have never heard about His love before, and who don't have any access to find out about Him.