More people are being born into the world without ever hearing about Jesus Christ than at any other time in history. In 2008, 1.2 billion people were living on the planet who had never heard the good news of Jesus Christ. By 2025, that number is expected to reach 2.4 billion people. This reality can't be tolerated, and we need to do something about it!

Missions is crucial to the success of any church. They provide a link between the church and the world and help spread the gospel message. Every pastor should be concerned about missions and take steps to support and encourage church participation in missionary work. Here are 10 reasons why:

THE GOD OF THE BIBLE IS A MISSIONARY GOD

When most people think of missionaries, they imagine people who leave their home country to preach the gospel in foreign lands. However, the Bible teaches that God is a missionary. This means that God is always on a mission to redeem and restore his creation. He sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to die for our sins and make it possible for us to have a relationship with him. Jesus said, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

Psalm 67:1-7 (NLT2) 1 May God be merciful and bless us. May his face smile with favor on us. 2 May your ways be known throughout the earth, your saving power among people everywhere. 3 May the nations praise you, O God. Yes, may all the nations praise you. 4 Let the whole world sing for joy, because you govern the nations with justice and guide the people of the whole world. 5 May the nations praise you, O God. Yes, may all the nations praise you. 6 Then the earth will yield its harvests, and God, our God, will richly bless us. 7 Yes, God will bless us, and people all over the world will fear him. 

When you read the Bible from the front cover to the back, you can't help but notice the missionary nature of God. He has always been sending, rescuing, redeeming, and restoring people throughout his Word. He has always intended the whole earth to give him glory and the nations to praise him!

THE BIBLE IS A MISSIONARY BOOK

The Bible is the best-selling book and has been translated into more languages than any other book. It is a missionary book that has been used to bring people to Christ for centuries around the world. It is a source of comfort and hope for a lost and dying world.

It is through God-breathed words that one is exposed to the mission of God. Reading and studying the Bible helps us understand who God is and what he desires for the world. In the Bible, theology and missions are inseparable. They serve to shape the biblical narrative itself and the lives of believers. Theology provides a framework for understanding God's purposes in the world, while missions is how believers put that theology into action. The Bible shows that theology and missions are two sides of the same coin in both cases. As we learn more about his missional plan in the Word, we can more effectively change the world through his Son, Jesus.

THE GOAL OF MISSIONS IS THE GLORY OF GOD AMONG ALL PEOPLE

Sadly, the true meaning of missions has been convoluted or lost due to its Westernization. Culture has pushed it more into programs, goal orientated, number of conversions, strategically planted churches, geographical locations, people groups, etc. As a result, it's more of a sterile operation and less of God and who he is. I'm not saying any of these things are unnecessary, but the essential piece, which has been ignored many times, is the glorification of God among all people.

Habakkuk 2:14 For as the waters fill the sea, the earth will be filled with an awareness of the glory of the Lord.

The caution here is that we need to make it less human result-driven and more focused on him and his glory. As Habakkuk says, make the earth be aware of his glory! God is zealous and is extending his glory around the globe! 

​As missionaries, it's easy to lose focus of the essential things we should be keeping our eyes on. God does not send us to the field to lose our family or a relationship with him. There are priorities we must guard and protect. As we do, God honors that with his blessings and guidance.

​Almost every morning, during my prayer time, I hear squawking or chatter from Macaws. Either they are flying above or in my neighbor's trees that are further away. This morning, I got a special treat of having them in a closer tree to see them better. There are 3 in this photo.

​If you can't or are not willing to learn, you won't move forward in the mission field. Learning is a daily process, from committing to go to the day of setting foot in the area to the day of leaving. You will always need to have the heart to learn!

​Saturday, we had a Pastor's Conference.  Pastor Chuck, Pastor Tami, and Maria brought a great word to bless them with!

​Pastor Tami, Maria, and my wife, Nancy, are ministering to the ladies in the community, Quebracho. They ministered on, "We are the Fragrance of Jesus Christ."

​The key to doing culturally informed missions is properly contextualizing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the culture you are ministering to. Forcing a western Christian mindset can harm and hinder the work God intends to do through you. 

Here is an incredible book for any church that is sending missionaries out in the field.  They need a well-established care team put in place.

Each year, tens of thousands of missionaries serve around the world. However, sending churches face high attrition rates; some can be traced back to not having a properly implemented missionary care program at their sending church. To ensure that missionaries can complete their service, churches need to have a well-developed support system.

Three things need to be considered in regards to a missionary care team.

• It lowers the attrition rate, but it also values the lives of the missionaries that were sent to the field.
• It protects the invested finances, and the time it took to establish the work.
• It guards the witness for the Kingdom of God in the community where the mission work was established.

​One thing I love more than anything about missions is the teamwork involved.  Resurrection Life Church from Indiana is getting ready to visit us in July.  They are shipping around 1,000 backpacks and other items to distribute to the children around Copan Ruinas.  This is so exciting for Nancy and me!

I had the pleasure of ministering God’s Word Sunday night at La Cosecha in Copan Ruinas, Honduras.
I find it interesting that John the Baptist KNEW who Jesus was at the Jordan River, but he forgot who Jesus was while he was in prison. Luke 7:19 tells us, that he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?”
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Don’t forget who Jesus is in your life! Keep him alive and real in your daily walk! Keep refreshed in the Spirit of God. Stay true to a life of prayer, reading the Word of God, and worship.

​Sherri Dodd, with Advance Global Coaching, is a seasoned mission-minded woman of God.  Here and her husband served in the mission field for 22 years.  Since 2007, she has ministered to thousands of missionaries through her coaching business.  In this video, she is imparting years of experience.  ENJOY!

​Sherri Dodd, with Advance Global Coaching, is a seasoned mission-minded woman of God.  Here and her husband served in the mission field for 22 years.  Since 2007, she has ministered to thousands of missionaries through her coaching business.  In this video, she is imparting years of experience.  ENJOY!

A “missionary” is a person who leaves their home culture to live in a different culture and focuses on Kingdom growth as a product, or byproduct, of their ministry, work, and/or life.

Not all people are cut out for mission work in foreign lands, and that is OK. Romans 12:5 says, “In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well.” Just as God graces one individual with the gifting to do one thing for his Kingdom, he gifts the other with something else. The Bible has described the church as the Body of Christ. The body is made up of many parts. We are all to work together for one purpose collectively: to advance his Kingdom globally. Also, you may feel called to missions; what does that look like for you? There are thousands of mission organizations people work for and never leave their home country.
 
Missionaries must have certain qualities within them. Many express the struggles they deal with while on the mission field. The mission life is not for the faint in heart. These individuals are required to have a strong faith and be willing to sacrifice for the Kingdom of God. While on a mission, missionaries often experience physical and emotional challenges that test their strength and faith. However, trials can help them grow and mature as they minister to others with these qualities.

CERTAINTY

Romans 11:29 “For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn.”

Before missionaries embark on this life-changing journey, they must be certain that God calls them to do it. They cannot simply assume that they are supposed to go to a different country or culture to fulfill God’s plan for their life; they need to be sure that God is leading them there. It must be that you know that you know. This certainty will give them the determination to stay on the mission field when circumstances are screaming in their faces to quit and go home.
The famous Dr. Lester Sumrall was known for his global outreach for the Gospel; he continuously encouraged people not to quit. He even authored a book, “I Did Not Quit.” Why did he have this mindset? Because he was sure who he was in Christ and the call of God on his life!
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INITIATIVE AND SELF-SELF STARTER

I had the pleasure of ministering God’s Word Sunday night at La Cosecha in Copan Ruinas, Honduras.

I find it interesting that John the Baptist KNEW who Jesus was at the Jordan River, but he forgot who Jesus was while he was in prison. Luke 7:19 tells us, that he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?”

Don’t forget who Jesus is in your life! Keep him alive and real in your daily walk! Keep refreshed in the Spirit of God. Stay true to a life of prayer, reading the Word of God, and worship.

​Just because you are a Christian and going to the mission field doesn't make all the hidden issues in your life go away. It would be best to deal with them head-on before leaving to go on your foreign mission assignment (secret sins, marital problems, family issues, debt, etc.). Because once you are there, it will only magnify the problems more.