Read Matt. 28:19-20
Many people look at this verse and see the call to go to all nations, and think this just means the far away nations. They forget that America is included in that list of all nations, and I'll explain why I think it might just be the hardest nation to do missions work in...
A distorted view. Of Jesus. This is what America has contributed to unbelievers and believers alike and this comes through several avenues. We see a distorted view of Jesus through television, billboards, radio, and sadly, Christians. The way that people are exposed to Jesus first is different than the people in Africa who are hearing of Him for the first time. They hear the message of love, grace, and redemption and can picture Him as the Bible truly depicts Him. But here in America, people are battling a different type of Jesus because of avenues that leave people with a bitter attitude towards Jesus. Do you agree? I have found this to be true as I have talked to people and have encountered people with other beliefs, that Jesus is someone else to them then what is depicted in the Scriptures.
I mentioned that we see a distorted view of Jesus through Christians, above. One of the men that I respect most in my life, who led my parents to the Lord, has a saying that I agree with wholeheartedly.
"If it weren't for the Christians, there would be more Christians."
Doesn't that ring true? I've encountered so many Christians who are judgmental, caught up on the rules and regulations, so much that they miss the point of the Gospel! So many unbelievers fear church because they feel like they will be judged, and that breaks my heart. Church is not for the people who have it all together, it is for the broken who are looking to be put together. But anyway, whether we choose to admit it or not, people see Jesus through Christians. So when people see Christians judging and unaccepting, they see Jesus as someone who judges and is unaccepting. And that's not who He is at all. He is someone who has His arms wide open to accept any and all who come to Him.
So, I guess Christians judging others could happen anywhere in the world. And I'm sure it is. But my call to anyone who reads this, and myself, is to realize that we are missionaries. Whether you are overseas or not, you are called to make disciples and love others. A problem that I have is though, is that I am not one who just can walk up to someone and start talking to them about Jesus. And I think, often times, this can be abrasive and off-putting. So then what? How can we do missions in our own neighborhood, job, etc?
My answer is to study Jesus. Read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John over and over and over. When you study Jesus and how He responded to things, lived His life, etc. we start to live like that too. And when we do this, people will see the difference. If we start to live so radically different than the self-centered culture, people will notice. And please note that I am not perfect at this, not even close, but I'm starting to figure it out and am working on it. I invite you to work on it with me.
"Be so caught up in Christ that people have to see Him in order to see you."
