Read Romans 10:14-15
It never fails. Whenever we discuss salvation and God’s heart for everyone to know Him, somebody asks, “What about people who never get to hear the Gospel. You know, people who live on some unknown island never visited by Christian missionaries?” I reply, “Yep. I know that island. Someone brings it up in nearly every membership seminar. I call it the island of Oogi‐Poogi. Do you want to know what God says about the people of Oogi‐Poogi, who have never heard the Gospel?” These folks always want to know; they asked the question, after all. I tell them: “In Matthew 28:18‐20, God tells you to go to Oogi‐Poogi and tell them the Good News.” Not one person who has asked me that question has yet to become a missionary. That tells me that they are not really all that worried about the people of Oogi‐Poogi. But God is!
Over and again throughout the Bible, God tries to get His people to stop thinking He chose them to be His teacher’s‐pets, but to become His representatives to the world. This began with Abraham in Genesis 12. Later, in Exodus 19:6, God calls Abraham’s descendants a “kingdom of priests.” What do priests do? They point people to God. God even leveraged persecution of the Israelites and wars to get people to know Him in places like Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, and Persia. God called Jonah to go to Nineveh. God doesn’t want anyone to die without knowing Him (2 Peter 3:9); God wants everyone to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). When Jesus gave the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18‐20), He was only building on the basis for the Bible.
As Dick Hillis is quoted as saying, “Every heart with Christ, a missionary. Every heart without Christ, a mission field.” Therefore, if you are a follower of Christ, it’s fitting for you to share God’s vision for the nations. Are you ready to go?
It never fails. Whenever we discuss salvation and God’s heart for everyone to know Him, somebody asks, “What about people who never get to hear the Gospel. You know, people who live on some unknown island never visited by Christian missionaries?” I reply, “Yep. I know that island. Someone brings it up in nearly every membership seminar. I call it the island of Oogi‐Poogi. Do you want to know what God says about the people of Oogi‐Poogi, who have never heard the Gospel?” These folks always want to know; they asked the question, after all. I tell them: “In Matthew 28:18‐20, God tells you to go to Oogi‐Poogi and tell them the Good News.” Not one person who has asked me that question has yet to become a missionary. That tells me that they are not really all that worried about the people of Oogi‐Poogi. But God is!
Over and again throughout the Bible, God tries to get His people to stop thinking He chose them to be His teacher’s‐pets, but to become His representatives to the world. This began with Abraham in Genesis 12. Later, in Exodus 19:6, God calls Abraham’s descendants a “kingdom of priests.” What do priests do? They point people to God. God even leveraged persecution of the Israelites and wars to get people to know Him in places like Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, and Persia. God called Jonah to go to Nineveh. God doesn’t want anyone to die without knowing Him (2 Peter 3:9); God wants everyone to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). When Jesus gave the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18‐20), He was only building on the basis for the Bible.
As Dick Hillis is quoted as saying, “Every heart with Christ, a missionary. Every heart without Christ, a mission field.” Therefore, if you are a follower of Christ, it’s fitting for you to share God’s vision for the nations. Are you ready to go?