Explore God's Heart For World Missionsنموونە

The apostle Paul says in Romans 10:15, “And how can they preach unless they are sent?” The reality of the gospel message reaching the lost is that it won’t unless there are individuals committed to funding and praying for those that are going. To be a sender is to “leverage your career, money, skills, and influence to send and support others engaged in cross-cultural ministry.” When it comes to those who go and those who send, you cannot have one without the other.

The most obvious aspect of sending is giving of one’s financial resources to support a missionary. It’s easy to assume that this kind of support is reserved for those with “extra” income to give, but that is not the case. As a matter of fact, the World Christian gives out of a heart of generosity, not out of excess in their bank account. They recognize that it is not the amount given, but the faithfulness to give, that makes a difference, and that submitting to God’s authority in all things means prioritizing all resources, including finances, in light of God’s Kingdom. 

Financial giving is not the only facet of sending. A sender may work in one or all of the following specialized roles: logistics, prayer coordination, communications, research, finances, or re-entry coordination. A specialist in logistics deals with the practical side of sending, like packing the missionary’s goods, travel plans, and acquiring items needed on the field. The prayer coordinator can identify specific prayer needs based on research from missionaries in the field and missions agencies and can use that when enlisting others in intercessory prayer for the team through prayer meetings. For prayer needs to be circulated, a communications specialist is helpful. It is their responsibility to open the lines of communication from the field to the prayer team so that prayer requests and other needs are known. The role of sending is neither glamorous nor easy. The job of dealing with the day-to-day, behind the scenes tasks of mission work may seem thankless, but it is not without reward. 

Some ideas of ways to live this out are to match whatever you spend on your “extras” (like eating out and entertainment) each month and give it to your church’s cross-cultural goers. Another idea is to get on the mailing list of a cross-cultural goer and begin to pray for them daily. Last, but definitely not least, you can write an encouraging email to an overseas worker once a month.

For the gospel to be preached to all nations, the role of a sender is vital. As more Christians embrace this role, they enable greater and more effective missions efforts to the unreached.

PEOPLE GROUP FOCUS: UNRELIGIOUS

The unreligious live mostly in China, North Korea, North Asia, and Europe. They are mostly atheistic, meaning they reject the belief or existence of deities. Many have communist governments that tell the people there is no God. People groups being unreligious and atheistic is a recent development, mostly within the last 200 years. The Ming people of China are an example of an unreligious people group. In the Maoxian Country of China, even the Buddhist temples are empty. An entire generation has received an atheistic education, and now the Ming people ridicule any religious beliefs, calling them “superstitious”. Teams of Christians who try to distribute gospel literature face arrest here. Will the more than 15,000 Ming people living in this region ever hear of salvation through Christ?

Father, we intercede on behalf of the Ming people, and all others who reject Your existence. We pray You would speak Your love over the anger in many of their hearts. Bring healing to them, and open their hearts to receive the truth about who You are. Father, help Your people worldwide to evaluate their time and resources in light of Your Great Commission. Help us all respond with joy and open hearts so we can send out more laborers. Make us eager to participate in the crucial role of sending. In Jesus Name, Amen!