by Jon Konnerup
God commanded the church to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. When unbelievers hearts are changed through our obedience of sharing the gospel with them, God’s glory is exponentially magnified, as they in turn share with someone else, who then shares with someone else. Before you know it, the gospel reaches around the world. This is divine mathematics — the more God’s people obey His command to evangelize the world, the more God is glorified.
Evangelism plays a critical role in what God is doing in our churches. We live in a unique point in history where God has entrusted us with His message of salvation and we, His ambassadors, are responsible for taking this message to the whole world. God’s unique design and task for each church is world evangelism which includes starting new churches right here in America. This must be the focus of our churches, our state fellowships, and the entire BBFI.
In the history of our Fellowship, pastors possessed a sense of togetherness and loyalty to this task; however, today this does not appear to be as strong. We must get back to the mission that God has given the church, which is fundamental to the mission of our Fellowship. Staying connected with pastors and churches across America in order to more effectively spread the gospel around the world is critical. It was for this purpose that the BBFI was formed, and this resolve should remain the same today.
This does not mean we are to neglect the needs of those who are suffering, as our churches and missionaries regularly minister to those in need in various ways. However, as we minister, our ultimate goal should always be to bring salvation and a lasting relationship with Jesus Christ to the lives of those whom we help.
At the conclusion of each of the gospels (Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 15:16, Luke 24:47, and John 20:21) and in Acts 1:8, a variation of God’s Great Commission is given.
With this commission given five times, Jesus, the one whose coming we celebrate this time of year, makes evangelism an issue of obedience — not an issue of skill or opportunity. The church has been given a mission — world evangelism. While not everyone is called to the mission field, we must all be consumed with the mission of God — to get the gospel out to everyone, everywhere. We must carry the gospel to our neighborhoods, cities, states, country, and the uttermost parts of the world at the same time — that is what God has called us to do. We can do it collectively, as a Fellowship, if we join together and remain focused on the mission of God.