Christ commissioned us to "go and make disciples of all nations." Matthew 28:19 Calvary Baptist Church, along with all Southern Baptist Churches, understand the mission given to all believers. We are a part of a global effort to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the Cooperative Program and both the North American Mission Board and the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Dr Jerry Rankin is the president of the International Mission Board. He recently delivered a message to all of us titled, "The Urgency of Global Witness."  His sermon text is Matthew 9:36-38

"And seeing the multitudes, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed anddowncast like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.'"

The sermon dealt with the 2004 tsunami, the hopelessness that was present for those who were without Christ, and opportunity for a Christian witness.

Rankin said, "We have always been conscientious about our missions task to share the gospel with the whole world. However, the devastating tsunami on Dec. 26, 2004, got our attention and shook us out of our complacency. Instantly, more than a quarter million people in eight Asian nations were swept into eternity, most of them with no opportunity to hear the gospel. Whatever else God wants us to learn from this tragedy, it should remind us of the urgency of getting the gospel to a lost world.

Here is Dr. Rankin's outline:

1.     A darkness that is distressing

Hopelessness of those without Christ

Lostness of those who have not heard.

2.     A destiny that is disastrous

Time is short.

Eternity is long.

The opportunity is limited.

3.     A disobedience that is dangerous

It diminishes the meaning of lostness.

It demeans our responsibility to win them.

It denies the command of our Lord.

Jerry Rankin concluded by saying, "There is nothing we could have done to prevent the massive number of fatalities in the tsunami, but we could have prevented many of them from entering eternity without Christ. We must have compassion on a lost world and reap the harvest while there is still opportunity. The task is urgent.   

If you are interested in knowing more about ministry opportunities through global missions, visit one of these websites.

The International Mission Board  http://www.imb.org
The North American Mission Board  http://www.namb.net
Hopegivers International  http://www.hopegivers.org

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