Why Would We Go?
This past Sunday at Hope, Tim Crouch, Vice President for Alliance Missions, shared that he is often asked the question, “How could we be so arrogant to press our beliefs and culture on others?” When international workers go to share the gospel, many have pointed out that missions could be a form of “cultural imperialism,” arrogantly pressing another culture's way of life on indigenous people. I loved Tim’s profound answer to that common question. He said, “We go, not to share a way of life, or eclipse a country's traditions, or even change their values. We go to give them access to a choice that we ourselves have been given, a choice that is based on what Jesus did for us.”
In the book of Romans, it is said this way: “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 never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’ But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?’ So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:14-17 ESV) We go to help them know who Jesus is and what He offers them! We go and send others to go, to give a choice to choose or reject Jesus.
But some might still question, why is that necessary? Doesn’t everyone have access to Jesus in our world? Admittedly, you and I live in a country where we have significant access to the gospel. A statistical way to illustrate this is if a person in America were to knock on the doors of their neighbors, to find someone who could explain Jesus and salvation to them, on average it would take knocking on about six doors to find someone who could explain the gospel. We live in a place where there are relatively high numbers of people who know Jesus and can share what He has done. In low-access areas around the world, a person might have to knock on 500 doors to find someone who can tell them about Jesus. Tragically, in the least reached places of the world, which make up about 3.4 billion people, you might be surprised to hear someone would need to knock on over 30,000 doors to find a person who could tell them about Jesus!
So why do we go, and help others to go? As Paul put it in Romans, How will they believe in Him whom they have never heard? This is why we go, and this is why we should be passionate and diligent in going. A.B.Simpson, the founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, declared, “God will so write on our hearts the names of these peoples, and tribes and tongues, that we cannot rest until we have gone to them with the message of salvation.” So we go with zeal, to help share the love of Jesus and help to provide access to the gospel of Jesus Christ to those who have never heard about it. Together, this is our God-given privilege and mission, to go and make disciples of all nations!
If you want to find out more about what God is doing in and through our Alliance Family. Check out this helpful map (click here).
Expectantly,
Shawn Brennan
