Missions, spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ around the corner and the world, is the biggest and most important task we face. Following are several reasons why reaching our world with the Gospel is crucial.
The size of the task is first and foremost. With over 7.4 billion people on this planet and increasing at the rate of one million people a week, the simple fact is there are more people to be reached than ever before. However, these precious souls are more than mere statistics to God. Jesus loves them and died for them.
Second, the deepest need of the human race goes beyond life’s basic needs for food, shelter, medicine, and education to the desperate need for salvation from sin. We should see the world through the eyes of Christ when He saw the multitudes as sheep wandering aimlessly having no shepherd.
The opposition we face is the third reason. Satan has blinded people into following false religions and gods of various imaginations. These religions and cults are sending out more missionaries than all Baptists combined.
Jesus said in Matthew 9:37, “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few.” This is still true today. Many sources report a declining interest in missions among North American Christians. Ironically, this trend appears at the same time as the greatest opportunity for missions.
So, why don’t we see more going? Could it be because fewer people are praying as Jesus instructed his disciples in Matthew 9:38 when he said “Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest”?