An International Invitation

“Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol Him, all peoples! For great is His steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!” –Psalm 117 (ESV)

I find it encouraging that the shortest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 117, with just two verses, is an invitation for all peoples everywhere to recognize God’s steadfast love and faithfulness and to praise Him.

The hope recurs in the Psalms as well as in the remaining 65 books of the Bible that the Gentiles will come to belief in the one true God. Paul the Apostle quoted Psalm 117:1 in Romans 15:11, and then launched into his reasons why he became a “minister to the Gentiles”—a missionary. At the heart of Christian missions is God’s love for and inclusion of all peoples in His plan of redemption. Paul again quoted from the Old Testament in Romans 15:21: “Those who have never been told of Him will see, and those who have never heard will understand” (quoting Isaiah 52:15).

Christian missions has as the aim spreading the gospel—the good news of salvation—to all people in the world. When Jesus was ready to ascend into heaven after his mission of redemption was complete, He gathered with His disciples and other believers on a hillside outside Jerusalem. Before He ascended to His Father in heaven, He had a final word for believers. In His powerful departing message, He repeated what was their major task: “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20, ESV).

Throughout my church and denomination during the month of December, we have a special missions emphasis. As we remember the Advent, Christ’s birth, and the reason He came to the world as a baby, we also remember that He gave us the Great Commission (as recorded in Matthew 28:18-20). Because God loved us enough to send us His son, then we too have an obligation to go throughout the world spreading the good news of salvation. This is the heart of missions. We pray for missionaries’ specific needs and give our offerings to help them go to places in spiritual darkness. We hear stories of spiritual progress in far places and are encouraged to pray more and give more.

We remember Miss Lottie Moon, who went to China in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century and made great inroads in telling people about the love of Christ. Our special missions offering is named to honor her faithfulness in service. Imagine if you were living in a land where the message of Christ had not been told. Would you not welcome those who came, as Paul did in early New Testament times, to tell you of salvation and faith in Christ that leads to a spiritual life on earth and a hope of eternity in heaven? That is what missions is all about. We give that the message of salvation can be proclaimed to those who have not heard. Won’t you pray for missionaries and give to support them? –Ethelene Dyer Jones 11.30.2014.