Why World Missions?

I’m one of those people who asks, “Why?” A lot. And when it comes to being told to do things, the answer, “Because I said so” never satisfies. Growing up, I’d pester my parents, “But why?” And after going back and forth, I would finally get something like, “Because I said so and that’s the end of it” or, “If you ask one more time, there will be consequences. Just obey.” And that would cause me to shut up even though I still wanted to know. Why?

I think the same thing applies to the way I think about God. I want to know why things are the way they are. I want to know why He does things He does. I want to know why He lets certain things happen. I want to know why He commands us to do certain things.

Common “Why?” questions people ask of God:

–Why does evil and suffering exist and why don’t You do anything about it?

–If you are sovereign and never change Your mind, why do we need to pray?

–Why do You “harden people’s hearts” if You desire all to come into a relationship with Yourself?

–If you are all-knowing, why did you create Man if You knew he was going to rebel and sin?

–Why doesn’t God perform miracles now like He did in the Bible?

And the “Why?” question I’m going to focus on now: Why does God desire World missions?

Here I am in Côte d’Ivoire, Africa and our goal is “Go North.” Serving in an open country, our goal is to raise leaders who will take the Gospel north into Muslim-dominated Africa. Yet there are pastors and missionaries coming from the north from countries like Chad – the very place where we are trying to send the Gospel. And yet, I’m not going to argue the fact that God called those people to be here rather than there. I see many missionaries from France – a country which, based on statistics, seemingly needs to hear the Gospel more than the people here. And here’s me from America – a country that is quickly becoming a godless society. And yet, I am thoroughly convinced that God specifically placed me here.

My question is – you guessed it – “Why?” The obvious answer is, “Because I said so.” See the words of Jesus as He gave the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20. Like I said before, the words, “Because I said so” never satisfied me. The questions were plaguing me: Why don’t I do ministry in America – a place that really needs it; the French do ministry in France – a place that really needs it; the pastor from Chad do ministry in Chad – a place that really needs it; and the Christians here do ministry here? Why does God call us to go to other nations? It doesn’t make any sense, does it? Well, no. Not when you look at it in that light.

But what does it mean when people say, “God has a heart for the nations?” How do we know God has a heart for the nations?

–Luke 24:46-47 “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem”

–1 Timothy 2:4 “[God] desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

–Matthew 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit”

–Matthew 24:14 “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.”

Christ died to bring repentance to the nations, God desires all men to be brought into relationship with Himself, He accomplishes this through world missions, and He will not stop till all nations have heard the Good News. While this answers part of the question, it does satisfy the intrusive why?

Through studying Scripture, I believe there are two primary reasons God sends people throughout the world: unity and glorifying Himself.

John 17

I’m not going to post the whole chapter here as it is quite long. The entire chapter embodies God’s desire for unity of believers and bringing glory to His name! I’m going to focus on verses 13-21. Jesus prays that we would realize the importance of us being witnesses in this world. Verse 18 says, “As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.” Christ left His home and came to the world: as imitators of Christ, we are called to do the same! Then He says, “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.” Two thousand years ago, Jesus prayed for the people to whom I am witnessing today! He prayed for the people you witness to today. He prayed for people we have never met who we will witness to in the future. Why? That they may be one, unified as a reflection of the unity of Christ and the Father. Why? So the world would believe that Christ was sent by God.

The Gospel transcends language; it goes on and beyond cultural differences. It unifies. In a world full of divisions – divisions of race and color, ethnic divisions, divisions caused by an inability to communicate through language barriers, divisions caused by different cultural norms, divisions of political parties, etc. – the cross of Christ unifies. Unity is brought about when Christ’s love and transforming power is proclaimed and embodied throughout the nations! People who can’t communicate with language can worship together the same God, and can know that they are brothers and sisters in Christ. And it seems to me that if one is able to bring about unity in such a way, He deserves to be glorified!

Additionally, the passage says that, by us going into the world, the world would recognize that Jesus came from God. Firstly, a sort of credibility is gained when people see our willingness to drop everything and follow God into unknown territory, when we strive to learn the language, the culture, when we have the humility to seem unintelligent and willing to learn. People should see that and recognize something different about us. And when people see the way in which we are unified with believers worldwide, they should recognize the power of God and know that only He is capable of such marvelous things!

Revelation 7:9 “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.’” What does heaven look like? Well, among other things, it looks like people from everywhere worshipping God. The kingdom of heaven is nations unified, worshiping the Lamb together. Now, remember when Jesus taught the disciples to pray, He prayed, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” World missions is another reminder that the kingdom of God exists on this earth – even if not quite. God is still sovereign here – even if the reflection of the kingdom is warped because of sin.

So how does this apply to us? Obviously, not everyone is called to world missions and I firmly believe that, no matter your occupation, your job description is always, “missionary” or “ministry” first and foremost. That’s our job description as Christians. But what about those who aren't called to go overseas? I believe there is still a mandate for these people to be involved in international missions and there are two ways this is possible. First and foremost is through prayer. And secondly is through financial support of missionaries who are called to go overseas.

So the nations will fear the name of the Lord, And all the kings of the earth Your glory —Psalm 102:15