By Not Known
Most religions are tribal and local. This is not our faith. The Scripture teaches that
God made all, for, in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Gen
1:1). All remains under his Lordship, even if in a state of rebellion, for:the earth
is the Lord’s and everything in it(Ps 24:1).
Further, all are within the scope of his redemption. All the ends of the earth are
to: turn to me and be saved (Is 45:22). Isaiah speaks of how:all the ends of the
earth will see the salvation of our God (Is 52:10). He then talks of the one through
whom salvation comes (Is 53).
All these Old Testament promises are given reality in Jesus. He is thelight for
revelation to the Gentiles (Is 49:6b; Lke 2:32), the only name through whom
salvation is found (Acts 4:12), and the one through whom all can be saved if they
call on him with faith (Rom 1:16; 10:11-12).
All this makes Christianity a universal faith and a missionay faith. As Isaiah says,
even the islands are to listen to God’s voice and will put their hope in God’s
servant t49:1 ; 42:4). from the earliest days faithful women and men have left
career and home comforts to go and tell others about Jesus and help them come Eo
fa ith.
Interest in outreach has waxed and waned at different eras of church histoy.
However, whenever the church has kept her eyes on the Lord and her ears on his
word, she has done evangelism and missions.
This is still our challenge and opportunity. As a church we are doing more and
more in outreach works. But there is much more to be done. We face constant
distractions to lesser things in the life of the church. And again, there are many
who would urge us to be content with doing material and social good and to leave
non-Chnstians alone in their traditional beliefs.
We must do missions and seek conversions from the ends of the earth. God created
the people at the end and is their Lord. He gave Christ to suffer for their
transgressions. They need Jesus as much as we do. They can come to salvation as
much as we can. The love of Christ compels us to take the gospel to all because we
are pers.uaded that one died for all (2 Cor 5: 14).
Let us have a global and universal heart for missions, for that is the heart of God.