EVERYONE CAN BE INVOLVED INTO GOD'S MISSIONS

TEN Things Everyone can do for World Missions

by Steven K. Haught, EJournal
God has never worried that the spreading of His gospel would be hampered by lack of interest. It has never happened and it never will. We should never doubt that. There will always be those of us who take up the call and give of ourselves completely to work full-time in missions, anywhere God calls us to serve.
But there does seem to be "sticking points" which keep the task of world evangelization from being completed, or at the very least as effective as it could be. Don’t forget, every generation is responsible for meeting the challenges of The Great Commission. Key among these “sticking points”, appears to be the lack of involvement on the part of the people of the Church. It doesn’t appear to be not for a lack of interest or desire.
Many people have said, "We're interested in world evangelization. What can we do?" If you have experienced similar feelings or maybe your church seems to lack the enthusiasm for missions, maybe the following 10-step program for getting involved in world missions can help.
If we all widely promoted this program and challenged uninvolved Christians to adopt it, we would see a radical change in the nature of world missions in just a few years. The potential impact could be enormous!
 
1. READ THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH A MISSIONS VIEWPOINT. Search out the Scriptures where God told us to be a blessing to the nations. Examine each passage from the light of our command to spread the gospel. Take notes on your thoughts on each chapter. Ask your church leaders and your close friends for their thoughts as well.
 
2. TAKE THE TIME TO LEARN ABOUT THE MISSIONS EXPERIENCE. Attend a weekend Missions event at your church or a nearby church if your church does not yet have a “world missions” program. Read a new biography of a missionary every 3 to 6 months. Begin building a library of books that deal with the real lives of missionaries and the problems and victories of missions. Look for videos that highlight mission events.
 
3. DEVELOP FRIENDSHIPS WITH MISSIONARIES. Go to the special meetings your church calls for missionaries passing through. Invite missionaries into your home and ask them about their lives and experiences. Take up a "pen-pal" relationship with missionaries: writing them, encouraging them. Commend missionaries to other people you know.
 
4. BECOME ESPECIALLY FAMILIAR WITH THE WORLD. You don't have to be an expert, but you can learn some basic things which will help you better understand the regions and peoples of planet earth. Take the time to memorize the names of the countries. Learn their locations, their relative sizes, religious compositions, significant barriers to the Gospel, key prayer points. Keep a list on paper of at least one key ministry in each country. Examine your newspaper for news items on these countries. Know what’s going on in countries everywhere around the globe.
 
5. PRAY DAILY FOR WORLD EVANGELIZATION. Using all of this information, include the countries you’ve researched in your daily prayers. Build a personal prayer guide, call it "Operation World Evangelism." And especially important: have a daily devotional time with your family which includes prayer for World Evangelism. Search the internet for what’s going on in World missions. Visit internet web-sites like www.globalmissionsnetwork.info to see God’s great work going on around the globe.
 
6. TAKE AT LEAST ONE SHORT-TERM TRIP. Make a commitment to take at least one short-term missions trip to that part of the world that interests you. For example, consider prayer walks, Bible courier trips or medical assistance trips. Pick a trip where you will be of the most help with the least possible imposition on missionaries in country. Bring your secular skills and training along with your love for God and you will be a blessing to the mission!
 
7. GET INVOLVED WITH YOUR CHURCH'S MISSION COMMITTEE. If your church doesn't have a mission committee, then ask for permission to form one. Offer to serve on the committee, or offer to help in some way. Support the mission committee by commending their efforts, supplying them with information, and helping to publicize the mission efforts of the church. Encourage them to consider every aspect of world mission-- both cross- cultural and the support of indigenous missions.
 
8. LEARN WHAT YOUR CHURCH MISSION BOARDS ARE DOING. Get on as many mission board's mailing lists as you can find--nearly all mission boards have a publication, but not all churches or members automatically receive it. Find out what sort of opportunities are offered through the mission. Promote opportunities and events of many missions at your church. Encourage other church members to learn about the foreign missions supported by your church.
 
9. RECRUIT SOMEONE EVERY MONTH TO MISSIONS AWARENESS. Make a point of meeting with one fellow Christian every month and introducing them to the great task of world evangelism. Share with them what you are doing and want to do for missions. Encourage them to become involved with you. Enthusiasm is contagious!
 
10. ENCOURAGE YOUR CHILDREN TO CONSIDER MISSIONS AS A CAREER. Often we think of missions as a "second-rate" career--one with little opportunity for advancement. In reality it is the most important thing we can possibly do. It is the command Christ left us with. We must do everything we can to encourage and support our children's exploration of missions as a potential long-term career, and especially encourage them to at least take a few shortterm trips.
With more than 60% of the worldwide Body of Christ completely uninvolved in evangelism and missions in any way, we need to be serious about recruiting--especially our youth--into active participation. Promoting these ideas or similar ideas through our own lives and to our circle of friends will make all the difference in reaching more of the world and more of its people with the live-giving message of the gospel. Remember, you have to Engage the World, to Change the World!