Daily Devotional: Monday, December 5 - Worldwide Missions

“During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’ After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.” — Acts 16:9-10

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It’s important for children all over the world to participate in group activities for exercise, building friendships and developing talent. Many play sports and learn about sports thanks to modern technology and marketing. Sports teams now have fans all over the world.

However, people throughout the globe need to hear about Jesus more than sports. As John Wesley and his brother, Charles, responded to James Oglethorpe’s call to evangelize in Georgia in 1735, we are called to follow the example of the Wesleys by responding to the evangelistic call in our day.

We need to come out of our comfort zone to bring the glorious Gospel to every little community and every big continent throughout the world. In his day, the apostle Paul responded to the call to missions: “During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’ After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them” (Acts 16:9-10).

In 1873, Lottie Moon became one of the early single women sent as a foreign missionary to China. She dressed like the Chinese, learned their language and baked cookies beloved by the Chinese children. Her influence continues in China today. One of her legacies is an annual emphasis on international missions in many local churches. The time of year when we celebrate Christ’s birth and exchange gifts is a great time to send the “good tidings of great joy” (Luke 2:10, KJV) to the whole world.

The Bible challenges us to broaden our view and think outside of ourselves. Therefore, William Carey “enlarged his little tent” in England to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to India in 1793. “Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes” (Isaiah 54:2).

We need to do what we can while we can to bring the Good News about Jesus to everyone in every place across the globe.

— Bill Kent, Pastor of Memorial Baptist Church, Sylvania, Georgia

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