Why do We do Missions

Why do we do Missions?

Why do we do missions? The most basic answer is because love God and want to please him. Please Him by obeying his command to go and make disciples! Jesus said: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,”[Matt 28:19-20] That would be one way of answering the question, “Why we do missions?

Let me try to answer that question in another way by sharing what Alliance Missionaries have been doing recently to share the love of God:

In Burkina Fasoour missionaries are assisting 500 people in Ouagadougou who have lost everything in the worst flooding since1922. More than 150,000 people lost their homes, their food reserves till the harvest, and all their possessions.

In Sri Lanka, due to a civil conflict more than 300,000 displaced people live today in camps under inhumane and unsanitary conditions. Our missionaries offer hope to more than 300 children in pre-school and after school programs, providing education, daycare, nutrition and extracurricular activities, including a Bible club. Nearly 40 people have become Christians in one of these communities through the outreach of the church.

In Guinea medical missionaries share God’s love by meeting their medical and dental needs while sharing Christ. In 2008, Hope Clinic saw more than 18,000 patients and 600 professions of faith.

In the Republic of Congo, and Côte d’Ivoire missionaries are caring for those living with & affected by AIDS by providing grain, medication, microenterprise training & loans for affected family members capable of working. They provide home visitation and pastoral care for patients and their families.

Kosovo is slowly recovering from the after effects of civil war.

Missionaries have developed an outreach center which provides a coffee shop, photo copy services for educators, occupational therapy and training program, English classes and a worship/discipleship center.

In addition, they work with a handcrafts business in Kachanic, employing 280 part-time workers many of which are widows. They crochet fine quality lace products, which are marketed in the U.S. through churches & individuals. $22,000 in lace was sold this past year.

In Mali, Africa a ministry to prostitutes in the capitol city of Bamako (1.5 million pop.) has been started by missionaries. At one site, 120 ladies ply their trade in squalid conditions, among them widows abandoned by their extended families and young women lured to Bamako with a promise of a job that never materialized. Missionaries visit the women to share the gospel & offer them a way out of their destructive lifestyle through job training. Forty-two women now meet for prayer and Bible study.

In Africa & Asia Moringa trees are being planted by missionaries and staff to provide a vitamin supplement and a cash crop for people who suffer from nutritional deficiencies. Missionaries are using these trees to demonstrate God’s provision and compassion to build a bridge to share Jesus love. When used regularly in the diet, Moringa leaves can rebuild weak bones, inhibit tropical ulcers, enrich anemic blood, help control diabetes, lower high blood pressure, and strengthen malnourished children.

Why do we do missions? We do missions so people can have the opportunity to love God by being saved, through his son Jesus. The Bible says: “God our Savior wants everyone to be saved & to understand the truth.(I Tim 2:3-4)

Christianity is about Jesus going to a cross and dying so that those who put their trust in Him can have eternal life. Never

forget that Christianity is different from other religions. Christianity is not a philosophy it’s a person – Jesus Christ.

CHRISTIANTY IS NOT A PHILOSOPHY. IT IS A PERSON.

If you take Buddhism, Islam, and Hinduism, you will note that these religions follow a philosophy and teaching left behind by someone who called them self a prophet. But Christianity is not based on a philosophy, but rather a PERSON! In the other religions you can take away the prophet and the religion would keep on going. However, if you take away JESUS from Christianity, you would have no Christianity.

In Christianity, you do NOT have a person who claimed merely to be a prophet, but a prophet who claimed to be GOD HIMSELF! Jesus claimed to be GOD! Jesus said: “He who has seen me has seen the Father.”(Jn 14:9) “I and the Father are one.(Jn 10:30)

The very thing that caused Jesus to be so hated was the fact that He claimed to be God. You see, they didn’t mind if he called himself a prophet. But Jesus claimed to be God, who came to seek and saved those who were lost.

And this is what makes Christianity so difficult for so many people. When they meet up with Jesus, they have to make a decision about -- either Jesus is God who died on the cross for my sin or he’s not. And accepting Jesus, as your Lord and Savior is the most important decision you or anyone will ever make.

We do missions because Christianity is not a philosophy, but a Person – Jesus Christ. In Acts 4 we read these words: "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Down through the ages disciples of Jesus and many missionaries have given their lives to share the message of Jesus because they believed people needed to hear about Jesus. And because they sacrificed millions of people have placed the trust in Jesus and received eternal life.

Why do we do missions? Because we believe that people need to repent so they can know Jesus and experience eternal life.

Jesus said: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his one & only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16). Our missionaries introduce people to Jesus so that can be saved.

But our missionaries can’t share Jesus unless we provide for them. It’s up to us to support them through our giving to the GCF, through our prayers and through our encouragement.