The Heart of the Matter

I’ve been questioned by quite a few people as to why I would have any desire to be a missionary; why would I want to risk everything like that.

“You have a great life, why give it up?”

“You’re so smart and could do so much. You should use that here.”

Those are some of the nicer comments I’ve received. There are also the people who don’t say anything and just raise an eyebrow to question my judgment.

I’d like to answer these queries with a question of my own- Why not?

Why shouldn’t I go out to help people? Why shouldn’t I share the good news of Christ with others who don’t know Him?

Yes, I do have a good life here, and I am relatively intelligent. So why not use these gifts to help others?

Let me back up for a second to explain exactly what it is that I want to do.

Ultimately, I want to translate the Word into languages where it was previously unknown. I want to go into these unreached cultures and learn the language; spread the Gospel in those areas as I get to know the culture and the people and help them however I can.

I want to use my life to extend the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

A lot of people tell me that this sounds extreme, and yes, it is, but then again so is my faith. If you really think about it, isn’t what Christ did for us extreme? He didn’t just die for us. He died in the most torturous way possible after having been beaten, flogged, mocked, and forced to carry the instrument of His own death to the place where He would die. Not only that, but the only perfect Man; the Son of God, took all of our sins onto Himself until His Father turned His face away. I honestly believe that that was the probably far more painful for Him than anything He endured physically.

And He did this while we were still sinners.

“But God shows love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

While we were still spurning Him, hating Him, spitting in His face, He was willing to die for us and take our sins onto Himself.

This is extreme.

And I think everyone should know it.

I don’t see a problem with living a life to tell people of what my Savior did for me, and what He did for them. I think that such an act of love and mercy deserves a response, and this this is the response I have chosen.

In addition, I think it’s unfair for someone to live and die without ever knowing Christ, just because they never had the opportunity to hear His Word. Christ’s sacrifice shouldn’t go unknown by an entire people-group because no one brought the Gospel to them.

To put the reason I am doing this into one sentence, and to get to the heart of the matter- I want people to know Christ, because of Who He is.

“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news.” Romans 10:15