A simple reminder of why we send missionaries.
Looking back, I can see that long before I understood my calling, God was nurturing a heart for the nations within me. I grew up in a home where missions was part of our everyday conversation and in a church family where reaching the world was woven into who we were. Those early years planted deep roots. They taught me that God’s world is far bigger than anything I could see from my front porch. I grew up hearing the names of nations I had never visited, praying for missionaries I had never met, and watching our congregation give generously so that someone across the ocean could hear the name of Jesus.
While the sermons certainly stirred my heart, it was around our dining room table that a heart for missions truly came alive. My uncle and aunt, Roland and Evelyn Blount, were often part of our conversations and always spoken of with deep respect. They served in Peru, Mexico, and Paraguay, and their courage and faith left a lasting imprint on me. My uncle was the only fully legally blind missionary on the field at the time, yet his blindness never limited his calling. If anything, it made his obedience even more remarkable.
What their lives taught me has stayed with me ever since. Missions is not an activity of the church. It is the calling of God. It is the heartbeat of His mission to the world. Their obedience lit a fire in our family and sparked a passion in me that has never faded.
Maybe that is why missions still stirs me today. It is woven into my heritage. It is written into my spiritual DNA. And it is why I believe with all my heart that supporting missionaries is not optional. It is essential. It is part of who we are as followers of Jesus and as a church committed to the Great Commission.
I once heard it said that Jesus did not offer His church a suggestion. He issued a commission — and that command still stands today. His charge is stated in Mark 16:15.
“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” — Mark 16:15
It’s also found in Acts 1:8, where Jesus says,
“You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”— Acts 1:8
The Gospel was never meant to stay local. From the moment Jesus spoke those words, the mission of the church became global. The Holy Spirit empowers the calling, but the church must carry it. This is why we send. This is why we support. This is why we pray.
Every missionary we support becomes an extension of our ministry. Those serving in World Missions carry the Gospel to unreached tribes, crowded cities, remote villages, and global gateways.
Those serving in U.S. Missions reach university campuses, military communities, inner cities, rural towns, correctional facilities, and people battling addiction and homelessness. Whether across the ocean or across the street, our missionaries broaden the footprint of the local church.
Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” — Matthew 9:37
The problem is not with the harvest. The problem is with the workers. When we support missionaries, we participate in the prayer Jesus gave us and help send workers into a harvest that is ready now.
Since our earliest days, the Assemblies of God has been a missions movement. We have believed that the Great Commission is not a distant idea but an urgent responsibility. We support missionaries because the Gospel is for every nation, because unreached people are still waiting to hear the name of Jesus, because missionaries multiply the ministry of the local church, because God still calls men and women to go, and because eternity is real. For many of us, like me, this calling is also personal. It is woven into our stories, our homes, and our roots.
The world still needs the Gospel. And as the church, we must still send.
So, here is my challenge:
May we never grow calloused to the Great Commission. May we refuse to shrink our vision down to what we can see from our front porches. Instead, may we remember that our generosity, our prayers, and our obedience are part of something far greater that God is doing across the world. Every missionary we support, every nation we pray for, and every dollar we give declares that the Gospel is worth it and that people everywhere matter to God.
So may we be a people who send boldly, give joyfully, and pray faithfully.
Prayer
Lord, thank You for loving the whole world and inviting us into Your mission. Stir our hearts again for the nations. Help us see the harvest as ready and empower us to resource the workers ready to respond. Give us a renewed desire to pray, the willingness to give, and the courage to send. Strengthen the hands of every missionary today. Protect them, fill them with Your Spirit, and shine Your light through their lives. Shape our churches and our homes around Your purpose. May Your heartbeat for the nations become ours. Help us stay faithful to you and the commission You have entrusted to us. We pray this in Jesus’ name, amen.