“But as it is written,
‘Those who have never been told of him will see,
and those who have never heard will understand.’”
– Romans 15:21
This is the burden of pioneer missions, the difficult work of taking the good news of Jesus Christ to people and places where there is nobody else telling them about Jesus. No churches, no Christians, no Bibles. This was Paul’s burden 2000 years ago and it must be the burden of the Christ’s people and churches today. All over this world, there are billions of people who have no idea that God loves them so much He sent His Son, Jesus, into the world to die for them. All over the world, there are thousands of distinct ethnic groups longing to relate to their Creator without knowing the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
The overwhelming majority of church money and effort does NOT go toward introducing those people and groups to the love of Jesus. The overwhelming majority of Christian mission efforts and resources does NOT go toward those people and groups. This is a tragedy of eternal and epic proportions!
It is God’s will that people from EVERY tribe, language, and ethnic group will come to worship Him through faith in Jesus Christ. It is Christ’s commission to His followers to make this happen. Those who’ve never yet been told about Jesus will one day see. Those who’ve never heard the good news will one day understand. It is the joy and privilege of Christians living in this time to be part of how God accomplishes this. If you aren’t already actively involved in God’s mission, it’s time to learn and pray about how you can do the good work God has prepared for you in pioneer missions. Is it by praying and caring for those who go? Is it by supporting and sending them? Is it by stirring up God’s people to get more involved? Is it by welcoming those who come here from distant lands? Is it by going yourself? #FollowJesus