Title: Missionary Church (John 17:15-21)
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Today, I am going to talk about the mission of the church, which is called mission. In particular, I would like to talk about why our church should strive for mission, that is, about the motives of mission in three ways.
The first reason why we should strive for missions is that missions are the great command that Jesus entrusted to our churches. To go to the ends of the earth to preach the gospel and to be witnesses of Christ is the last and highest command that Jesus, the head of the church, left to our churches (John 20:21, Matthew 28:20, Matthew 16:15, Acts) 1:8). A good church is a church that obeys the word of the Lord. And a church that seriously accepts the fact that the highest command that the Lord has given to the church is the command of mission and puts all its energy and effort into missionary effort is a good church that can be recognized as good and faithful by the Lord.
Next, the third reason why our church should strive for missionary work is that the preaching of the gospel is directly related to the Second Coming of the Lord. Jesus said, “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). This means that when the gospel is preached to the ends of the earth, then our Lord will come again and the history of this world will come to an end. In that sense, it can be said that the steps of missionaries who bring the gospel to an area where the gospel has not yet entered are the steps that accelerate the return of Jesus.
Our church should be a church that strives for missions with these various motives. God is pleased and blesses the missionary church. Mission is the shortcut to the revival of the church, and it can also be said to be the secret to the blessings of the saints. When a church wants to be faithful to its mission, God sends the people it needs and also gives the gifts and powers of the Holy Spirit. And he provides abundantly the necessary materials. I pray that our Yeonhui Church will become a good church that receives God's great blessings by putting more effort into missionary work.