Greetings,
This past weekend we were blessed in the Etowah Baptist Association with missionaries from all over the globe sharing their experiences of God’s work. At Dwight we had 3 missionaries, two of which were from areas of the world that we couldn’t share their full names or the specific countries they had served. Judy and Gay Lynn were a blessing, as was Jamie Reynolds who was from Hazard Kentucky.
There are 2 thoughts that stood out to me over the weekend I would like to share:
1. People often ask the question, “Why send missionaries to foreign countries when we have lost people here?” Some also ask, “Why would God not simply raise up people in those countries to carry the Gospel?” There are many answers to those 2 questions. First of all, God has commanded us to go all over the globe to all peoples and nations. Therefore, we don’t have the option. As Jamie shared Sunday night, we are not given the great “option”, but the Great Commission. Also, God often sends people far outside their comfort zone to a place or situation where all they have is Him. It is at that point God can truly begin to work miraculous things. When we are in our natural surroundings we often rely too heavily on our own strength. God said that in our weakness His strength is made perfect.
2. I am proud to be Southern Baptist. One of the defining aspects of being a Southern Baptist is missions, and more specifically, how we do missions – cooperatively. When you study the book of Acts you learn a lot about the power of the Holy Spirit and how God works through His people to carry out the mission He has for us. Another aspect of Acts is the idea of togetherness, unity and sharing with our fellow believers. This is perhaps no were more greatly demonstrated than in the mission work of Southern Baptists. Through the Cooperative program of the SBC, missionaries are sent all over the world. Many of those missionaries stay for 30 years or more on the mission field. While I won’t suggest that we have it all figured out as Southern Baptist (we certainly don’t), missions is definitely a strength of our convention. We need to grow in our support of missions local, statewide, and worldwide.
God bless,
Jay
