Contemporary missionary approaches focusing primarily on humanitarian & social works is not found in Acts—where the early disciples took the gospel from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth within the span of a few generations.
You are so grateful to God for having your name written in the Book of Life, and given you the hope and assurance of eternal life through His Son Jesus Christ. All of your sins have been forgiven through his sacrifice on the cross. And you have such indescribable peace and joy in your heart through the Holy Spirit.
You’ve heard about those in the Third World who are perishing apart from any hope for eternity because they have never heard the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. You feel for them. And you’ve heard the Holy Spirit whisper to you, “Go and make disciples of all nations!”
The whisper has now become an urging, and you’re seriously considering becoming a missionary.
Perhaps you’ve gone on short-term mission trips with your church, or consulted with a mission organization. Typically what you’ve seen and heard are opportunities to share the gospel by getting involved in humanitarian work providing physical benefits of some kind to the people you want to reach. In such a way you will eventually have opportunities to tell them about Jesus. By showing God’s love to the people you will eventually lead some of them to Jesus Christ.
What is missing in this traditional missionary approach is that it is not found in Acts—where the early disciples took the gospel from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth within the span of a few generations. They accomplished this not through compassion ministries, but primarily by proclaiming the kingdom of God, often accompanied by powerful miraculous healings as overwhelming proof that Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father’s house in heaven.
Few mission organizations based in the West will suggest such an approach for you or train you how to do it effectively and fruitfully as did the early disciples. The reason is that they themselves do not know how to heal the sick and cast out demons as Jesus did and as he taught and commanded his disciples. It’s a mystery. And so the default approach for most foreign missionaries involve humanitarian good works.
But look what Scripture teaches:
Luke 9:1 When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
Later Jesus gave a similar command to the 72 disciples:
Luke 10:9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’
During these Last Days the Lord has restored understanding of how to heal the sick miraculously and cast out demons as Jesus commanded—in order for us to complete the Great Commission during the little time which remains.
You are no longer limited only to the humanitarian approach for sharing the gospel with those who never heard. Today you can also proclaim the kingdom of God as Jesus commanded and as the early disciples did in Acts.
Today you have a choice.
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Proclaiming the KINGDOM of GOD vs. “preaching the gospel”
What happens when the harvest worker is lacking a sharp sickle?