Evangelism & Missions

It's easy to assume that missionaries are only those who go to foreign lands preaching the Gospel of Christ to people who've never heard it. Christ's command to "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations" (Matt. 28:19) at first even seems to support this romanticized picture. The words "go" and "all the nations" immediately put us in a "somewhere other than here" attitude. It seems easier to get excited about witnessing for Christ when we imagine going to a place where nobody knows us.

While some people end up going to other countries, most of us stay at home, in our own, much smaller world. And that's OK. When Christ first sent the apostles to all the nations, Christianity was unique to a country only slightly bigger than the state of New Jersey. Today, Christianity can be found in nearly every corner of the globe, part of that due to foreign missions, of course; but much of it due to everyday Christians trying to live their everyday lives like Jesus.

Evangelism is less romantic than we'd like it to be. It requires not just talking about Jesus, but living like Him and treating other people the way He did. And it's not just aimed at strangers; it's a lot harder to tell your best friend or your grandma the truth of Christianity, but that's who most of us usually have to tell. Evangelism isn't a point system in which the person with the most converts wins (Christ has all the converts anyway), it's a holistic approach to faith that aims for the transformation of culture itself. This means the spread of the Gospel and Gospel principles through every avenue at our disposal, whether outright preaching of the Word, political involvement, science and art, or any other means available. It is the spread of the kingdom in the hearts and minds of people, as well as in the very fabric of human society.

Christ compared the kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed, saying that it began small but would eventually grow until birds came and landed in its branches (Matt. 13:31-32). Although the task of disciple-making is arduous and often seems entirely unproductive, Christ said, "All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth" (Matt. 28:18). These are hopeful words, not in the sense of "I hope that happens," but in the sense of something definite we have to look forward to and remind ourselves of. Christ will not rest until all He has appointed are drawn into His fold. As His Church, to whom He gave the command to make disciples of all nations, we shouldn't either.

"For as the rain and snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it."
Isaiah 55:10,11

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.

 

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Abandoned on the Wild Frontier
Trailblazer Books
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Abandoned on the Wild Frontier
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Ambushed in Jaguar Swamp
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Assassins in the Cathedral
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Bandit of Ashley Downs
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Barefoot Book of Buddhist Tales
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Betrayer's Fortune
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Blinded by the Shining Path
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Brigham Young, Pioneer and Prophet
Let Freedom Ring
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Catching their Talk in a Box
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Caught in the Rebel Camp
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Caught in the Rebel Camp
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Children's Illustrated Jewish Bible
by Laaren Brown & Lenny Hort
Revised Edition from DK Children
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$10.00 (1 in stock)
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Defeat of the Ghost Riders
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Dragon Tales
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Drawn by a China Moon
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Drummer Boy's Battle
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Escape
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Exiled to the Red River
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Exiled to the Red River
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Experience Jesus Today
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Jungle Doctor #10
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Faith Like Mine
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Flight of the Fugitives
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Forty-Acre Swindle
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Forty-Acre Swindle
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God Speaks Numanggang
by David Hazell
2021 Printing from My Father's World
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Gold Miners' Rescue
Trailblazer Books
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Gold Miners' Rescue
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Hidden Jewel
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Hidden Jewel
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Hostage on the Nighthawk
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Hostage on the Nighthawk
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Imprisoned in the Golden City
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Journey to the End of the Earth
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Journey to the End of the Earth
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Jungle Doctor and the Whirlwind
Jungle Doctor #1
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Jungle Doctor Attacks Witchcraft
Jungle Doctor #16
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Jungle Doctor Goes West
Jungle Doctor #17
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Jungle Doctor in Slippery Places
Jungle Doctor #6
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Jungle Doctor Looks for Trouble
Jungle Doctor #13
by Paul White
from Christian Focus Publications
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Jungle Doctor Meets a Lion
Jungle Doctor #9
by Paul White
Reprint from Christian Focus Publications
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Jungle Doctor Meets Mongoose
Jungle Doctor's Animal Stories #6
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Jungle Doctor on Safari
Jungle Doctor #8
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Jungle Doctor on the Hop
Jungle Doctor #2
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Jungle Doctor Operates
Jungle Doctor #14
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Jungle Doctor Pulls a Leg
Jungle Doctor #12
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Jungle Doctor Sees Red
Jungle Doctor #18
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Jungle Doctor Spots a Leopard
Jungle Doctor #3
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Jungle Doctor Stings a Scorpion
Jungle Doctor #11
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Jungle Doctor to the Rescue
Jungle Doctor #15
by Paul White
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Jungle Doctor's Africa
Jungle Doctor #7
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Jungle Doctor's Casebook
Jungle Doctor #19
by Paul White
Reprint from Christian Focus Publications
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Jungle Doctor's Crooked Dealings
Jungle Doctor #4
by Paul White
from Christian Focus Publications
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Jungle Doctor's Enemies
Jungle Doctor #5
by Paul White
from Christian Focus Publications
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$4.50 (1 in stock)
Jungle Doctor's Hippo Happenings
Jungle Doctor's Animal Stories #4
by Paul White
Reprint from Christian Focus Publications
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Jungle Doctor's Rhino Rumblings
Jungle Doctor's Animal Stories #5
by Paul White
Reprint from Christian Focus Publications
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Kidnapped by River Rats
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Kidnapped by River Rats
by Dave & Neta Jackson
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$8.99
Listen for the Whippoorwill
Trailblazer Books
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Listen for the Whippoorwill
Trailblazer Books
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Mask of the Wolf Boy
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Mask of the Wolf Boy
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$8.99
Mayflower Secret
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Mayflower Secret
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by Dave Jackson, Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
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$8.99
Patrick: Patron Saint of Ireland
by Tomie dePaola
from Holiday House
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$8.99
Peanut Butter Friends in a Chop Suey World
by Deb Brammer
from Bob Jones University Press
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$4.50 (1 in stock)
Queen's Smuggler
TrailBlazer Books
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from Bethany House
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Queen's Smuggler
TrailBlazer Books
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$8.99
Quest for the Lost Prince
by Dave and Neta Jackson
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Quest for the Lost Prince
by Dave and Neta Jackson
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$8.99
Religions Of The World
by Elizabeth Breuilly, Joanne O'Brien, Martin Palmer
Revised from Checkmark Books
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Risking the Forbidden Game
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
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Risking the Forbidden Game
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
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$8.99
Roundup of the Street Rovers
by Dave Jackson, Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
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Roundup of the Street Rovers
by Dave Jackson, Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
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$8.99
Runaway's Revenge
Trailblazer Books
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
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Runaway's Revenge
Trailblazer Books
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
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$8.99
Science in Early Islamic Cultures
by George W. Beshore
from Children's Press
for 3rd-6th grade
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