April 13, 2023

Acts 15: 3 The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the brothers very glad. (NIV)

Jesus did not tell us to build buildings and invite people to come be like us.*

This verse in Acts presents us with a model for the church today: 

1. The church sent missionaries on their way. 

2. The missionaries preached to people who weren’t like them. 

3. The missionaries sent reports back to the church. 

4. The news made the brothers glad. 

Sending missionaries is the work of the church. Being missionaries is the call to all Christians - but we don’t always have to go far from home in order to reach the world. The church where I have been a member for more than 35 years has traditionally been composed of mostly middle-class white Americans. It has always been a “mission-minded” congregation, sending out and supporting missionaries around the world. As the demographics of our community have changed, our leaders have intentionally set out to extend the missionary spirit right here at home. Our intercultural ministry includes a thriving Spanish language congregation, a Haitian ministry, and a new endeavor with the Portuguese-speaking community. Our outreach ministry has been changing lives among the homeless for a number of years. 

Reaching out to those in our neighborhood does not limit our impact on the world. When a Venezuelan is baptized in Kissimmee, his influence may reach all the way to South America where he still has family and friends. Our Haitian community is noted for their continued ties to those left behind in their poverty-stricken homeland. We can go into the world with the gospel without actually leaving home! 

Whether your ministry is to “Gentiles” or to people who look just like you, the news of conversions makes the brothers glad!

Until told otherwise, I will serve courageously in the place I am.*