To be a missions-minded church is to embrace what the Lord designed the church to be- the agency through which the Great Commission can be fulfilled. The mission of the church is basically to “mobilize” or “send forth”, to reach out by winning souls for Christ, then to baptize or have newly-saved individuals identify with Christ’s body through Scriptural baptism, followed by the teaching or observance of the whole counsel of God. This is essentially why the church is here as Christ’s representative body. The Lord Jesus Christ is not anymore bodily present, but He has His representative body which is empowered by His Holy Spirit.
We need this mindset not only because Christ commands it, but also because the need of the world demands it. It takes all of us, not just Bethany, not just Lancaster, not just big churches in the cities, but all Bible-believing Baptist churches all over the world. By God’s grace, the same message of God’s saving power proclaimed by the Vellas and the Woosleys in the early years of Bethany, is still the same message we strive to get across the whole world today, through men and women who have surrendered their lives to be missionaries in various corners of the world. It is the same sweetest story ever told: of Jesus, the first Missionary from Heaven coming down to earth, shedding His precious blood on that old rugged Cross to redeem mankind from the bondage of sin and Satan. Thank God for the gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ!
Would to God that we would indeed make Christ’s Great Commission our first priority. Let us all strive to not only to be missions-minded, but also missions-hearted and missions-spirited,
In order to cultivate a missions-minded Church, I had to become a missions-minded pastor
In all my visits to various mission works all over the world, I can truly say that the harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few. It is one thing to read that verse, but it is another thing to experience it, and to see it with your own eyes. To see people blinded by various false religions and philosophies, scenes of hopelessness and apathy toward spiritual things. “Mine eye affecteth my heart.”
I also see the constant toiling of the missionaries in the field, and the challenges they often encounter. They go through loneliness and doubt, as they are also human. They also get discouraged often and in man instances, fall on the verge of quitting. But I also see how the Lord finds ways to cheer and encourage them. Our prayers, letters and even our presence during our visits are a great encouragement to them. We try to minister to their children and accommodate them in our educational ministries, we encourage all the missionaries in a given region or country to strengthen one another in prayer and fellowship, we encourage them to enroll in our satellite Bible school program, and we challenge them to do more for the Lord, knowing that faithful is He who calleth, Who also will do it.
I acknowledge the fact that I have not yet attained. I am by no means perfect. I am human, and do have my flaws, and I continue to be dependent on the grace of God in my life. If through my service, many are encouraged to have a missions-sending mindset, then praise the Lord! All we do is to try to be faithful with what the Lord has entrusted to us. It is al by God’s grace and for His glory.
Pastor Gerardo “Gerry” Nable
Pastor, Bethany Baptist Church, Makati, Philippines
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