DEAR REV. GRAHAM: Our son went on a high school missions project through our church this summer, and now he's all enthused about becoming a missionary. I have to admit we're not all that excited. Do we still need missionaries?
-- J.W.S.
DEAR J.W.S.: Yes, we still need men and women who are willing to go into the hard places of the world with the message of Jesus Christ. His command to reach the whole world with the Gospel has never been withdrawn, nor has it been completed. Jesus said, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19).
Jesus Christ didn't come down from Heaven only to tell us how to live, or just to make the world a better place. Christ came into the world to confront humanity's biggest problem -- sin. Sin separates us from God, and like a deadly disease, it poisons everything we do. But by His death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead, Christ broke sin's power over us, and now God offers us forgiveness, hope and new life. The Bible says, "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace" (Ephesians 1:7).
This is why the Gospel is good news, and it's why we have an obligation to share this good news with others. Missionaries today do this in countless ways -- as evangelists, teachers, doctors, aid workers, and so forth. Often they work with local churches to help them reach their neighbors.
Be grateful for your son's desire to serve Christ. Pray too that as he grows older his relationship with Christ will grow stronger, and he'll discover God's plan for his life, whatever it may be. And may this also be true for you.
Write to Billy Graham in care of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, 1 Billy Graham Parkway, Charlotte, N.C. 28201 or visit the website at
billygraham.org
ActiveStyle on 10/17/2016