The Christian church spends much manpower and money spreading the Gospel around the world. Some ask, “Why?” What is the reason to commit so many resources? Why would we send some of our best young people to the mission field? Why would we challenge people to give of their lives to learn a different culture, potentially learn another language, spend their lives living abroad away from home and family, and potentially risk their lives to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to another people group in another country?
If you see it another way, you could ask, “What is inherent about the Gospel of Jesus Christ that would demand the human sacrifice and sacrificial giving?” Depending upon your age and historical connection with the church, the answer may or may not surprise you. However, in today’s culture where every person has a right to believe whatever he or she wishes, where it is often taught there is more than one way to Heaven, where every person just needs to follow his or her own inner light, and where every denominational teaching all leads to the same place, it is essential that we are reminded why we do missions. Why is this necessary?
To make the answer to this question as simple as possible, let us examine together just one passage. In the Gospel of John, Jesus talks with Nicodemus, who was a religious man in that day. Jesus tells him that he must be born again. As you can imagine, Nicodemus was confused and asked Jesus for a better explanation (John 3:1-9). Jesus answers him which provides for us the basis of why missions (John 3:10-21). Notice the following verses which are part of Jesus’ response:
14 ”And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” (John 3:14-21)
From these verses, there are three primary reasons why the church and the world need missions.
Because Jesus must be lifted up for belief (John 3:14-15)
To this Old Testament expert, Jesus refers him to the story of Moses (Num 21:4-9). The children of Israel complained against God and Moses. God sent poisonous snakes to judge their complaining. As people were getting bit, the children of Israel repented of their complaining against God. The people asked Moses to ask God for forgiveness. God in grace provided a way for them to live. Then God told Moses to fashion a snake out of bronze, place it upon a pole, lift the snake up, and tell the people that anyone who was bitten and by faith looked upon the bronze snake would live. The people would die by God’s judgment for their sins unless they believed God, repented of their sins, and looked upon that bronze snake.
In a similar manner, Jesus says that He must be lifted up. All of mankind has sinned. All of mankind faces judgment by God for their sin. However, God in His grace provided a way of escape from judgement. The stories essentially are very similar. Individuals must recognize their sin, understand their just judgement as sinners, turn to God in repentance and faith by looking to Jesus, Who was also lifted up on the cross to pay for each person’s sins. As with the children of Israel, everyone in the world will die and face God’s judgement for their sins unless they believe God, repent of their sins, and look to Jesus who was lifted up on the cross.
Because God gave and Jesus gave (John 3:16)
God loves the world. He demonstrated His love for the world by sending Jesus to earth as the God-man to demonstrate His righteousness, die an unjust death on the cross, and take on God’s wrath for the sins of the world as a substitutional, sacrificial atonement. God gave His Son, Jesus, to die for the payment of the world’s sins.
Jesus gave His life willingly to become that atonement. Jesus loved the world so much that He sacrificially submitted Himself to death on the cross in order to pay for the sins of the world. In Jesus’ death, God poured out His wrath on Jesus. By taking on God’s wrath against sin on the cross, Jesus became a substitutionary atonement for the sins of mankind, which means that He took upon Himself God’s anger against sin. He became mankind’s substitute. Instead of each person paying for his or her own sins, Jesus willing gave His own life, took God’s anger on Himself, and sacrificed His life as payment for the sins of the world. Jesus gave Himself as the sacrifice.
Because Jesus is the only way to eternal life (John 3:17-21)
Jesus came, died, and now offers eternal life through His sacrificial and substitutionary death. This is great news for all of mankind. If they will believe in Jesus as the One Who died in his or her place, God provides salvation. Instead of judgement, God grants forgiveness. Instead of eternal punishment, God grants eternal life. Instead of getting what each person deserves, God provides grace and offers mercy. This is true for every person in the world.
Notice how this is true. Each person cannot choose his or her own way. Salvation is not generically applied to each person in the world. The death of Jesus made forgiveness possible for each person in the world. However, in order to be forgiven, one must individually by faith believe in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins. Similar to those of the children of Israel in the wilderness who had to look by faith to the bronze snake, any person who desires to be saved from his or her personal sin must look to Jesus for forgiveness of sin.
Belief is not generic. Belief has an object. One must believe in Jesus as the sacrificial substitute for his or her own sins. Jesus later said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father except through me.” In a similar way as here in John 3 when Jesus discusses forgiveness with Nicodemus, Jesus identifies belief in Jesus alone as the way to eternal life.
Therefore, missions is necessary.
Why should we as Christ-followers give of ourselves, our resources, and our time to tell the world about Jesus Christ? Because each person in the world has but only one way to eternal life through belief in Jesus Christ. Their own beliefs, whatever those are, will not get them to heaven. Their own efforts to earn salvation will never be enough. Their own churches, denominations, synagogues, houses of worship, temples, shrines, and anything else they trust to get them to heaven will fail.
Every person in the world needs to hear about Jesus Christ, Who was lifted up on the cross as the substitutional, wrath-bearing sacrifice for the sins of the world.
Salvation is free for the individual. Although it cost Jesus His very life to provide it, it is free to mankind. Recognizing man’s inability to do anything for eternal life, each person must ask God for forgiveness of his or her own personal sin through Jesus.
But each person must do so individually. The solution for one’s sin and impending judgement is personal belief in Jesus. If any person dies depending upon anything else to get them to heaven, that person dies condemned because he or she has not believed in Jesus.
Why missions? Because each person needs to hear about Jesus’ life, His love, and His sacrifice if they have any hope of salvation.
How to Pray:
- Pray for the salvation of the world through the proclamation of Jesus Christ
- Pray for those in the church to also sacrificially give in order to take the Gospel of Jesus to those who need to hear it
- Pray and ask God if He wants you to go
- Pray that as God’s Word is proclaimed that God would use it for its intended purpose to draw people into relationship with Him by the Spirit since all people love darkness rather than light
- Pray that God would receive the glory
Photo Credit by Ben White on Unsplash
KevinCarson.com | Walking together through life as friends in Christ sharing wisdom along the journey