The month of March is probably my favourite month, because at the BCEC we have March Missions Month. And this year we have some great things lined up, with some guest speakers too. But yesterday, we kicked off with Bert’s message which can be downloaded here in case you missed out on a gem of a sermon.
I personally thoroughly enjoyed the sermon a great deal (if you sit next to me, you would find I would be nodding my head, grinning, and more often than not, I would be grunting in agreement. I might even suddenly laugh a bit louder than everyone else though. and yes I do get a few stares.)
But yesterday’s first sermon for the missions month was challenging. Why? It’s because it opened my eyes to so much more…
“In the vast plain to the north I have sometimes seen, in the morning sun, the smoke of a thousand villages where no missionary has ever been” ~ Robert Moffat
It’s true. We may not think that way if we come across a village or two. Ok, we may not be travelling expats or on holiday right now–but with something called the internet, we do stumble upon an image of villages or of tribes and people groups which we probably know nothing about.
It’s the case for me, I see friends on my newsfeed, maybe they’ve uploaded pictures of their mission trip or they’ve posted an article up about say, the Uyghur people group (and no, I can’t pronounce it). But I’m thinking, great, that’s you doing it. I’m happy for you. If I could I would. But not right now. I have a mortgage, bills, or rent to pay. I have mouths to feed. I have a relationship to invest in and if I up and leave right now, it just wouldn’t be the best option right now. Sorry.
And sometimes we forget that we have many interactions with people on a day-to-day basis. Like that guy at the local newsagent where I pick up milk from. Or the same lady I come across every morning as I do my commute to work, school or XYZ. Or a colleague that sits behind me. Or that waitress at the noodle restaurant I regularly frequent. I forget that. I forget that they need Christ. They need to hear the good news too.
Bert in his sermon reminded me and all of us, this verse:
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
Romans 10:14-15
And then there’s the other excuses… I think, they’re not my problem. I’ve got my own problems to fight. I can’t be bothered. I don’t know how to evangelise. It’s not my gift. I will sort out my own salvation, it’s ok, I don’t need to worry about their salvation–God will sort it out. They deal with their life, and I’ll deal with mine. Everyone has a freedom of choice. Everyone is entitled to their own beliefs and deciding what to believe.
I admit, I am guilty of being lazy, or holding to those excuses. But Jesus says GO.
More so, Bert’s message really spoke true to me (don’t know about you, but it certainly got me thinking), we don’t see a problem, or it’s not my problem, or I need more equipping…. Two videos hit home right now.
Bert showed this video at the start. And what an incredibly challenging video.
And I just came across this video, which really really hits home:
Hell is real. Time is short. Jesus says “Go.”
The truth is, time is ticking. Life is short. People need to hear the good news. “The gospel is only good news if it gets there in time” ~ Carl F. H. Henry
And yes, Jesus says GO.
These are some thoughts from Ansy regarding Bert’s sermon.
The sermon can be downloaded and listened to from here.
Throughout the month of March we have March Missions Month. We have a free missions pack on how to pray and care for our missionaries, you can pick one up today at the BCEC.