Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matt. 28:18-20)
This is a verse that most Christians would be familiar with. I think of it as the mission statement of Christianity. As followers of Christ, everything we do should be centered around bringing the Gospel message of God’s love to a broken world.
There are many ways that we do this in our day to day lives. We bring the gospel to our family members and friends. We can bring the love of God to our communities by performing acts of kindness and encouraging others with the Word of God. We can bring hope and life into our workplaces. We should treat our neighborhoods as our mission field.
Yet there is something so special about actually going to the nations. I have traveled overseas several times for short term missions trips. The first time I ever got on a plane it was to go to Ghana. While there, we were able to do evangelism and prayer, open air crusades, play with children in an orphanage and provide backpacks and medical supplies to the community. The other three times I traveled to Palmira, Colombia. The church I attended before supported a children’s home in Palmira. I had the amazing opportunity to stay with children, at one time for six weeks, teaching a vacation Bible school program. It has been amazing to watch the kids grow over the years and see all that God is doing in their lives. I have grown so much in my walk with the Lord through these experiences.
Because I know the value of missions (and I also know how challenging it can be to raise support), I always support my friends who are seeking the opportunity to go on their own Great Commission adventure. And this is where I insert a shameless plug.
My friend Josh has the opportunity to participate in a worship-focused Discipleship Training School with YWAM (Youth with a Mission) this September. For those of you unfamiliar with YWAM, it is an amazing organization that equips and mobilizes young people to do the work of the Great Commission through classroom learning and practical, hands-on, cross-cultural ministry overseas. Josh will have the opportunity to travel to Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe and South America. Please consider clicking on this link and contributing to Josh’s trip. He will need to raise $10,000 all together by September 13th. If you can’t give finances, please share his Go Fund Me page within your circles.
Let’s partner together in seeing the Gospel message spread around the world!
