The Heart Behind Missions

By Roy González, Co-Director of CFCI-Panama 

Missions, for as long as it has been around, has been vitally important to the contemporary church. Why is that?

First, missions is important because of the cross of Christ. The cross has always been at the very center of our faith. At the cross God demonstrated His love for all humanity and provided a way for all to experience the forgiveness of sin. The Apostle John reminds us that Christ “is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2 ESV).  Since Christ died for the sins of the whole world, we as His followers should feel the divine burden to reach every individual with the Gospel.

Second, missions is important because of the command of Christ. In all four Gospels and also in the Book of Acts, Jesus Christ gives us the Great Commission. It is never presented as an option to be considered but always as a mandate to be obeyed. For nearly 2,000 years, the marching orders of the church have been, “Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to the whole creation.” We must be global Christians with a global vision because our God is a global God. When God’s heart for the world becomes the heart of the church, then the church will surrender and do whatever needs to be done so “the whole creation” has the opportunity to hear the gospel.

Third, missions is important because of the coming of Christ. In Acts 1, as Jesus ascended up into heaven, two angels asked the disciples, “Why stand you looking up into heaven?” It’s as if the angels were saying, “Don’t you have something you need to be doing? You aren’t supposed to be gazing up into heaven; your mission is to go into the world.” Then there was the angelic reminder that there is limited time to accomplish the Great Commission because “This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” If we truly believe in the imminent return of Jesus Christ, world evangelism will become an urgent priority in our churches.

Yes, missions is important to God, and therefore it must be important to every church in our age and the entire world.

Edited by: John Michael Den Hartog