We Can Do More

According to the “Where I’ve Been” feature on Facebook, I have been to 17% of the world. Don’t be too impressed—I think that statistic is a tad bit misleading. For instance, it gives me credit for being in the whole country of Russia (including Siberia) when in fact I’ve only been to Moscow and Volgograd. I haven’t been to 17% of Russia, much less 17% of the world.

I certainly have never been in 151 world areas. What’s so big about 151 world areas? That is the number of countries where we have missionary efforts and people worshipping and doing the work of the Lord. I’ve never been to Papua New Guinea, but we have a hospital there. I’ve never been to Nairobi, Kenya but we have a university there. I couldn’t find East Timor on a map, but (you guessed it) we have missionaries there.

Aren’t you glad to be a part of a church that oozes missions? We are part of a church that takes serious Jesus’ call to “make disciples in the nations” (including East Timor). We are part of a church that says we want everybody—people across the street and people across the world to hear the best news of all—Jesus loves them! We are united with a community of believers from every inhabitable continent on the planet (I think that means in Antarctica there’s only penguins. No Nazarenes. But we are everywhere else), and I’m glad (glad about being missions coo-coo, and not so worried about our lack of penguin evangelism in Antarctica)!

I’m glad for a few reasons.

I’m glad we are mission-obsessed because Jesus said to be.

I’m glad we are mission-focused because there are millions (no billions) of people living on this planet that need Jesus. If you haven’t checked on the date—today is the infamous anniversary of the 9-11 terrorist attacks. The memory of that awful day tells me again and again how desperate our world needs Jesus, and how incredibly necessary it is for the world to know the Prince of Peace.

I’m glad we are Mission crazy because I’ve been to 17% of the world (yea, right!)--- well, I’ve been to enough places to know that there are millions (no billions) who need to experience not only the love of Christ in their hearts, but need Christ followers like you and me who have been blessed beyond measure to share Christ’s love through acts of compassion. I’m glad our church sponsors children around the world so they can receive education and their basic needs. I’m glad for the hospitals and clinics that we sponsor. I’m glad for the hundreds of dedicated “good Samaritan” points where thousands of volunteers serve the needy (like our own Lord’s Food Pantry, for instance!).

I’m glad we are mission-passionate because I want my boys to be mission-passionate too. I want them to be about something bigger, way bigger than themselves—and making more and better disciples around the globe certainly qualifies as something way bigger than themselves!

I’m glad that this weekend is our Global Outreach Weekend. It’s all about missions! Our special guest, Rev. Simon Pierre from Rwanda, will share his powerful story of God’s grace and God’s empowerment which allowed him to shine the light of Christ during one of the darkest times in our world’s history (the genocide in Rwanda in the 1990’s). YOU WILL NOT WANT TO MISS THIS POWERFUL SUNDAY! Bring any friends who are interested in knowing how God can work in even the most awful times!

To prepare for the weekend with Rev. Pierre, I watched Hotel Rwanda (it had been a while since I saw it)—I was struck how Paul Rusesabagina, the hotel manager who saved 1268 lives at the Milles Collines Hotel, when being thanked for his efforts at the end of the movie said, “I could have done more.” It was eerily similar to Oskar Schindler at the end of Schindler’s List saying the same thing. He could have helped more people. He could have given more. He could have done more. It made me think about us. We aren’t living through a holocaust or genocide, but we do live in a world where billions don’t know Christ. And I wonder, will we be saying those same words, “I could have done more” at the end of our lives? We have been blessed. Even with economic down-turns and high gas and grocery prices, we have all been blessed. So… what are we doing to reach our world for Jesus? Could we give more? Could we pray more? Could we care more? Could we do more?

Last year people from Central gave nearly $300,000 to missions (in one form or another), that’s a lot of money, but we could do more! Last year, we pledged $85,000 toward the World Evangelism Fund (WEF pays missionary salaries, trains national workers, supports hospitals and clinics and so much more in the 151 countries) and mission trip supplies—but guess what? We could do more!

It is my prayer that this weekend we not only pledge money, but we pledge our lives to making a difference, to being a light, to becoming even more mission-obsessed than ever before. It is my prayer that Central church learns that as we give of ourselves and really focus on the lost in our world (down the street or around the globe) that God will bless in an even greater measure!

Our goal for the WEF and Mission trip supplies is $100,000, we can do it—in fact, we can do more!!!