What is the very last thing Christ instructed us to do before he ascended to Heaven? You can find that in Matthew 28:19-20 –
“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded of you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
The earth’s population today is around 8 billion people. Of that 8 billion, around 2.3 billion are considered Christian. Of those, approximately 50 percent are Catholic, and 36 percent are protestants. Of the 36 percent, only about 2 percent are evangelical Christians who believe in that last command from Christ to go into all the world (or at least, try).
I am not sure where it started, but I know of Christian groups that think God does not need their help, so they do not send anyone to tell others what they need to hear – the thing that Christ commanded us. Those groups believe that God already knows who will accept him and who will not. Therefore, it is unnecessary to “waste” money by trying to help what is already fore-ordained.
The “sending out” of people to tell others, or missions, was started by Christ himself while his earthly ministry was still going on:
“And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two;” Mark 6:7a
That practice continued after the Lord ascended back to Heaven by the apostles, and by other disciples. We read a lot about Paul’s missionary journeys in the book of Acts.
These men began to turn the world on its ear. They were so successful in their endeavors that it was affecting the “religions” and governments of the time. When people were convinced and convicted of their lifestyles, things began to change. So drastically, in fact, that for centuries after Christian disciples were tortured and killed because these new converts no longer believed in the status quo of the existing religions. So, in order to put a stop to this, these “heretics” (as they were called by the “church” leaders) were to be made an example of what would happen if you dared to divert from the ”church” and become a Christian. In those days, “Christian” was meant to be a derogatory remark – because these peons, or rabble, were trying to act like Christ.
That is our Christian heritage. Are we living up to that heritage. Are we willing to stand up and if necessary, be burned at the stake, or thrown to lions, or be torn apart by raging stallions traveling in four different directions? If we say we are, but we are not willing to tell anyone what Christ did for us, by keeping us from an eternal death, then something is wrong with that statement. If you can’t talk, at least be willing to send.
“…behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.” – Jesus Christ
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Voice of the Introverts 