Why Go?

“Why go?”  Heidi and I have heard that question a lot over the past two years, and to be honest I’ve asked myself that question.  There is need in the United States that's for sure, both spiritually and physically.  Several years ago, Heidi and I looked at downsizing and staying in the USA to work with disaster response, but God kept working on our hearts and giving us the courage we needed to say yes to going overseas.  I know that not everyone is called to do overseas ministry and there is a lot of need in the states, but I do think as Christians we are all called.  We are all part of the Body of Christ. 

The map below is based on research by IMB (International Mission Board) and it shows the Global Status of Evangelical Christianity.  It really helps to explain why the Body of Christ needs to go.

The dark green areas have full access to the message of Jesus Christ. They have the Bible in their language, churches within their town and open worship of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

 The dark red areas are places in the world where there is little to no access to the message of Jesus Christ.  Often times people in these areas do not have a copy of the Bible in their mother tongue (their heart language), there are no churches and sometimes worship of our Lord and Savior is illegal.  Can you imagine Sunday morning being illegal?!

The variation of these shades indicates the different levels of access to the message. (See the key to the left)

As Americans, we are extremely fortunate that most of the United States is dark green.  We have the opportunity to go to the 'Religion Section' at Barnes & Noble and look over dozens of translations of the Bible. You can even buy a Bible in Walmart or a used Bible in a second-hand store.  We can Google sermons on-line and listen to Holy Spirit inspired messages for hours if we’d like.  Many countries, like China and India, have a ban on certain Christian websites and they are not accessible by the locals.  Westerners have access to the Gospel like no other time in history.  It is wonderful and amazing.  We are blessed.  

 As children of the God of Abraham, we are called to be a blessing to all nations.  We are invited to join Jesus in His mission and that is an amazing honor.  Jesus gives us what we need to fulfill the Great Commission. "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."  Act 1:8

And with this, we are sent as the church, as the Body of Christ, to be witnesses locally, regionally, and to the ends of the Earth.
So my question is, "Are you answering God's call?"  Is your church reaching out locally, regionally and to the ends of the Earth?  Are you making a difference to turn the red areas into green areas on the map above???
So, when someone asks us, "Why go?"  We simply respond, "Because God has given us the opportunity to be a blessing to ALL nations."
To find out more about the 10/40 window and unreached people groups around the world, go to http://www.joshuaproject.net/