Why every Christian must be involved in missionary work
Every believer is a missionary by calling. The command of "Go Ye" is a general calling, but many Christians are wondering if it applies to them. The absence of discipleship in churches is responsible for this wrong assumption that there are specific people who are called for missionary work. It is true that not every Christian is deployed to the mission field, but those who are not commissioned to go to the field are commissioned to hold life lines for those who are.
We must all be involved because the command of "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" (Mathew 28:19) is not an option but a command that must be obeyed.
In Africa the last words of a dying man is taken to heart by his children. They work very hard to fulfill the wishes of their dead father and the children always remember and make references to such words as, "Before our father died, he told us…". The command of "Go Ye" is the last instruction that Jesus gave to His disciples in His earthly ministry and the early church took this instruction seriously, evangelizing Jerusalem, Judea, all Samaria and the uttermost part of the earth.
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Are we expecting Jesus to come down with host of angels to evangelize the world? How can they hear if no missionary is sent to them? (Roman 10:14) Material things are important in this life but they will someday pass away, but the souls of men are eternal. Every Christians should invest in missions by going to work in the fields, by giving their money to support those who are called to spend all their lives laboring to reach the unreached, and by praying for success of the soul harvest project.
There is no better time to preach the Gospel than now; science is failing, disasters and calamities are on the increase. Many are searching for God for help. "He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame" (Proverbs 10:5). May we wake up from this disgraceful slumber because there is no time; Jesus will soon return and every believer will give account of his stewardship on the mandate of The Great Commission.
In Nigeria, it has become imperative that every Christian be involved in missionary work because if we do not, we stand the chance of becoming the last generation of Christians. According to Pastor Emmanuel Bosun (Secretary of Nigerian Christian Elders Forum), "Realistically speaking, Christianity is on the brink of extinction in Nigeria. The ascendancy of Sharia ideology in Nigeria rings the death toll for the Nigerian church. In 2018, we can say in 25 years from now, we are facing the risk of being the last Christians in Nigeria." If we refused to embark on aggressive evangelization of the entire Nigeria, we risk being wiped out.
All must be involved because of the unfulfilled prophecies concerning the return of Christ. Jesus stated that one of the preconditions for Him to return is that the Gospel of the kingdom must be preached in all the world as a witness to all nations (Mathew 24:14).
The return of Christ is a blessed hope for the persecuted Christians and all hands must be on deck to facilitate this return by going, giving and groaning so that the entire world will hear the Gospel of the Kingdom that will serve as a witness to all nations.
Oscar Amaechina is the president of Afri-Mission and Evangelism Network, Abuja, Nigeria. His calling is to take the gospel to where no one has neither preached nor heard about Jesus. He is the author of the book Mystery Of The Cross Revealed.
