A Happy Healthy Church: Devotions From Time of Grace MinistrySample

OUTREACH: TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH

Some people are offended and embarrassed when Christians send missionaries to other countries. In their view it shows disrespect to local religious beliefs when "Westerners" arrive and expect indigenous people to abandon their ancestral beliefs and accept theirs.

If the missionaries' vision was merely to change people's political system or diet preferences, that would indeed be cultural imperialism. But the dilemma of human sin and condemnation is global, and so is the rescue that Jesus Christ brought about.

The Bible says, "He [Christ] is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:2). Do you see the beauty of it? Christ made the payment. Christ gives the benefits. Christ's work is universal.

The message that we entrust to our missionaries is the same message you need: The Creator of all saw the sins of all, sent his Son for all, and through him atoned for all. What remains is for us to announce the plan and for people to believe the plan and find the joy of living the plan.