Dear Editor,
For centuries, missionaries have been venturing into faraway places preaching the good news of the gospel. Missionaries have gone into countries ravaged by floods and famine; they have gone to poverty-stricken places, into areas where people live under oppressive and deeply secular governments to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
In the heart of Buddhist China and deeply Islamic countries, missionaries of the gospel of Jesus Christ of Nazareth risk life and limb to deliver the good news.
In fact, in Matthew 28 (KJV), Christians are called to carry the gospel into all the world. It does not stipulate seasons or circumstances. “Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.” It does not state that conditions such as peace and calm must prevail before we go.
In a season of wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes, famine, pestilence, and grave uncertainty, only those who trust firmly in God will venture into the unknown, into volatile spaces where there is certain turmoil, dodging missiles, and locking down in bunkers to deliver the good news of the gospel.
God has promised never to leave nor forsake us as we go. The same God who stood with Daniel in the lion’s den, the same one who stood with the Hebrew boys in the fire, the same God who showed up at the Red Sea, is the same God who stands with His missionaries in the midst of today’s terror. He will be with us even to the end of the world. His promises are certain.
Brothers and sisters, the time is short; the Great Commission is still in effect. The return of our God is imminent. The gospel of Jesus Christ must reach every nation. It is still our mission to do this.
I am,
Doreen Hinds