Do we really believe it's true?

As believers in Jesus and the Bible, we should hold missions in a high priority. If we truly believe in two eternal destinations, then how can we not believe it is absolutely necessary? I have noticed when discussing the idea of international missions with other believers, most people (myself included) respond with, "Well, everyone can't go. People need to stay here. There are so many people here that need to hear and believe." True. But these questions need to be asked:

1. Is this an excuse for not wanting to go?
2. Am I just fearful of being sent so I convince myself that people (aka me) are needed here?
3. If this is true, am I actually using my daily life as a way to share?

Okay so let's talk about this for a second. People are needed here. Yes, we have established this fact. Did you know there are approximately 6.7 billion people in this world and approximately 67% of people in this world AD 30 to present have never heard the name of Jesus (Source click here).  The Joshua project researched, "86% of all unreached people groups lie within the region called the 10/40 window, which is between 10 and 40 degrees north and from the west coast of Africa to the east coast of Asia." There are so many more convicting statistics such as these that need to be addressed, and I encourage you to look at them. (Click on the above link).

As many of you know, we are moving overseas for a bit. I do not, for one second, want anyone to think that I have it all together in this area. Originally, these words came out of my mouth, "Eric, I am NOT moving there." When I tell people that I said those words, more than often, they become a little fearful. It's like we think that the word NO means God will make us go. Like it's opposite day and "no" really means "yes," to God. So, we just won't say anything. We convince ourselves, "Not everyone is suppose to go. He needs me here. Okay good, I'm staying." We become fearful that God will make us do something we don't want to do. If you are one of those people, let me encourage you in this: If you end up going somewhere or doing something where you originally said NO and now its happening, it's because you want to. God will change you. Don't fear. If God wants you to go, He will change your heart and allow you to have a desire to go.

We serve a good God, who loves us. He is not out to make us miserable. BUT He does command us to tell people what He has done on the cross. He does command that, and it can be uncomfortable. We probably will experience discomfort. Don't forget that we are told that the world will hate us if we boldly stand for Him. If we truly feel that our ministry is right here, we really need to evaluate if we are actually allowing our "staying here" mindset to be about the Gospel and not the comforts of an "easier" life.

 Something I am so weary about in our generation, that I believe can be a hindrance to the spread of the Gospel, is our misguidance between love and tolerance. Our generation is all about love. LOVE LOVE LOVE. Don't get me wrong, I love, love. We need to be loving. Love covers a multitude of sins. Because of His great love for us, he died for us while we were yet sinners. We always should love. But what I see with our generation is that tolerance has become a substitute for love. A tolerance for issues that is so clearly sin (yes, I said SIN) in His Word. A tolerance that forces us to keep our mouths shut. A tolerance that makes us fearful to share or stand up for the Gospel. A tolerance that so deceives us into thinking that we are actually being loving. AND THEN we convince ourselves that through our "loving" tolerance people will see Jesus because of the way we are acting. Well, ya know, there are so many loving people in this world that don't believe in Jesus. In fact, there are many unbelievers who are better at loving than those who are believers...so how the heck are we suppose to tell the difference if we only rely on our actions and never say a word? Let me make this clear, I'm not against tolerance by any means. I believe that we should be tolerant of most things! Just not things that go directly against the Bible.

So, let me ask this, if we truly, truly believe the Gospel, truly believe that His Word is absolute truth, that there is a Heaven and a Hell, and we are going to one place or the other when we die...how UNloving is it if we don't share what we know? If we don't share it with our coworker we have known for the past year??  If we don't share with our neighbors whom we have lived beside the past 3 years (I'm talking about myself!). So, if our reason for staying is because some people need to stay here, then we better believe that. We better be sharing the Gospel. We better be using "here" as our mission field. If not, if we claim to truly believe what the Bible says is true, yet are choosing to stay "here" because we are coasting through life in comfort and style, let's just be honest and say, "actually, I'm staying here because I don't believe in the truth and the urgency of the Gospel."

Sometimes, I'm hesitant to post things that are so opinionated...because of the whole tolerance thing. I know the last quote was a bit direct, harsh, and steps on a lot of toes. Believe me, I am stepping on my own. But that's the thing. We don't want to admit our unbelief. But let's call it what it is. Unbelief. And I have it. I'm guilty of it. I am SO SO guilty of everything I write about! When I don't tell people, especially people I have known and I have a great relationship with, then I am not grasping the urgency of the Gospel.

So here is my plea, let's pray urgently that God would give us a heart of urgency. We are humans. Imperfect ones. Humans that need a ton of grace because we so often forget the Cross. And when we forget the Cross, we forget our dependence upon it. We need Him. Badly. So let's pray that God gives us a heart and mind of remembrance, thanksgiving, and urgency. And let's share it, shall we?

**A note to those who don't believe in Jesus and have a relationship with him: if someone who does believe in Him has shared the Gospel with you, I want to personally let you know that it is because that person absolutely loves you. That is the reason they shared this great news with you. They love you. They truly believe that there are two eternal destinations. They truly believe in the joy experienced in a relationship with Jesus. So they told you about it. They shared their most beloved and prized gift with you, salvation. For those who have had a negative experience with someone trying to share the Gospel, I am truly sorry. It is such amazing news, I'm sorry that it has been distorted as something negative. I'm sorry if they were overbearing and unloving in the way that they shared with you, but just know, it's because you are loved that you have heard.