A Lasting Impact For The Gospel
Many of you are aware that in November of 2024, a group from Oakhill, along with a few others from around the state of Indiana, set out on a 10-day short-term mission trip to Tokyo, Japan. During this trip, we supported the local team of missionaries and explored the mission and vision of their efforts to advance the gospel among a population in which only 0.001% identify as followers of Jesus Christ. Coming up in the last ten days of May, twelve faithful souls from Oakhill have said “Yes” to gospel impact and are going to Brazil on another short-term mission trip to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ.
The question I am constantly asked is: Why is it that you are going on such a trip? Many who are not going often respond with a common statement: “I could never do something like that.” There was a time early on for me as a Christian when I might have said the same thing. I probably said things like, God is not calling me to go on overseas mission trips like that. Or saying, “I sure am glad there are people like them who will go and share the gospel with those people.” The challenge for all of us in Christ is to truly consider what the Great Commission asks of us. In the gospel of Matthew 28:19, we are given the imperative to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. The International Mission Board effectively explains who is called to Go make disciples and baptize them. The IMB states, “From the Great Commission, until the Great Multitude, every believer is called to play a part in His mission. Whether you give, go, pray, or send, you are part of the Great Pursuit—a shared commitment to do whatever it takes to see every nation and all people worshiping Jesus in heaven.”
Upon hearing this, we need to ask ourselves again: why do we go on such trips? The answer is simple: every believer is called to take part in God’s mission of making baptized born-again devoted disciples of Jesus Christ. That’s you and that’s me. The question we have to ask ourselves and really consider our response is – Will I be obedient to the call and say “Yes” to going and making a kingdom impact?
This call to take the gospel to the nations might be in the local schools where English as a second language learning is growing at an astronomical rate right here in Evansville. Taking the gospel to the nations in your life might be sharing your home and being hospitable to the neighbors who just moved in next door from overseas. And it might be signing up for one of the short-term mission trips to partner alongside one of Oakhill’s numerous missionary partners on the other side of the globe. Regardless, we are all able to participate somehow, and we are called to Go and make disciples. The question is a matter of obedience.
Today, I had the opportunity to have a FaceTime call with one of our missionary partners. We prayed together and caught up on how they were doing. During our conversation, they reminded me of a previous missionary who served in their area: David Livingstone. Many people believe that the history of the church in Malawi, Africa, cannot be discussed without acknowledging Livingstone’s significant contributions to the work of the gospel there. He had no idea of the lasting impact he would have on the entire country of Malawi. However, he counted the cost and faced great losses, as much of his family died during his mission. The Kingdom of God grew tremendously from the obedient gospel work of one man, and we have similar opportunities to leave a lasting influence with our own lives.
May we look upon the faithful gospel work of others, such as Livingstone, and consider how we might say “Yes” to taking the gospel to the Nations, whether it is down the street, or across the ocean. My prayer is that we adopt the same posture as this missionary who demonstrated through his life that he meant the words: “I will place no value on anything I have or may possess, except in relation to the kingdom of Christ.”
