There is in America's churches today, a feeling of Euphoria concerning the
financial support of overseas missionaries. The tragic part of all this is
that there are millions of people, if not tens-of-millions, right where we
live who've never heard the Gospel message of Jesus Christ.
I call it the "Las Vegas Effect," that is, when people first come to Las Vegas, they are overwhelmed with the neon lights, good times and friendly people; but only God knows how many people's lives have been destroyed by the Las Vegas lifestyle. Likewise, Christians enjoy a feeling of euphoria from giving their money to support foreign missionaries, while their local neighborhood is going to Hell.
I've been in dozens of churches throughout my life, where the people felt compelled to support overseas missionaries, to give themselves a feeling of accomplishment for having partook of reaching the lost in the jungles of New Guinea, or the lost in the deserts of Africa, or the lost in the frozen nation of Russia. One church I visited was supporting one dozen foreign missionaries, sending each $50 a month. I asked the pastor if he wanted to go soulwinning together and he said, "No." You see, he pats himself on the back and feels good about himself because he's supporting one dozen foreign missionaries, but he has no interest in reaching his local community with the Gospel. Something is VERY wrong with that kind of attitude.
Please don't misunderstand me, I'm all for mission work, absolutely. Jesus said in Matthew 28:19,10, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." And again in Mark 16:15 Jesus commanded, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." There is a Biblical mandate to go into all the world and preach the Gospel. I am all for supporting mission work.
However, the Biblical mandate to "Go ye into all the world" has been ABUSED by many pastors and missionaries. I recently visited a church in my area. I enjoyed the pretty music and the atmosphere in general. However, they had a guest missionary speaker the Sunday night I visited and he was really pushing for donations. He announced that beginning in a couple weeks the church was going to sponsor a week-long “missions conference,” and said that the people of the church would have to “dig deep” and “give sacrificially” in order that the people of the Philippines might be reached for God. He laid a heavy financial burden upon the church members and said that despite their previous donations, now was the time to give sacrificially like never before for the work of the Lord.
As I sat listening to the preacher, I looked at their schedule for upcoming events and noticed a planned two-week “TRIP TO ISRAEL” that the pastor, his wife, friends and wealthy church members were going to take. At that point I pondered the woeful hypocrisy of what the missionary guest preacher was saying. If reaching the lost in the Philippines is so important, and it certainly is, then why is the church spending tens-of-thousands of dollars for a HOLY LAND TRIP?
Sad, but true, the average church nowadays is nothing more than a lucrative business, where the pastor and his staff enjoy new vehicles, routine vacations and live high-on-the-hog, at a lifestyle that few people in the congregation could enjoy. It's just plain wrong. I mean, if your church wants to take a trip to the Holy Land, fine, but don't turn around and hound your congregation for money, making them feel guilty for not “giving sacrificially” to missions. It's utter hypocrisy!
I have witnessed a euphoric effect amongst believers concerning missionary work, while at the same time they carry little or no burden for their local community. It is wrong. So many church congregations pride themselves in the fact that they are involved in worldwide missionary work, having a "bigger than life" sensation of what they are accomplishing; but in reality they are more interested in feeling good about themselves than they are about winning lost souls to Jesus Christ. I'll tell you, the United States of America needs more missionaries than any other nation on earth!!! We are a wicked and apostate nation. Heresy and lies are everywhere!
It's quite ridiculous and ironic that America sends their missionaries overseas, and the countries overseas send their missionaries to America! My intention is not to discourage Christians from supporting missionary work, God forbid! Rather, I'm simply saying that the biggest, greatest and most urgent need for missionary work is right here in our own backyard. I realize that 90,000,000 people in the Philippines need to hear the Gospel. The Philippine islands are a devil's playground, whose people desperately need to hear the Gospel, but there are 300,000,000 people in the United States who are in more desperate need than anyone to hear the truth of God's Word.
Please don't misunderstand my article. I believe in worldwide missions. Jesus in Mark 16:15 said, “GO YE INTO ALL THE WORLD, AND PREACH THE GOSPEL TO EVERY CREATURE.”
I'm simply saying that America's churches need to be just as adamant, just as concerned, just as prayerful, and just as financially supportive of reaching our local communities with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There's not much romance nor euphoria in reaching homeless Americans for Christ, but there's literally MILLIONS of homeless people scattered across the streets of every major city in America who need to hear the Gospel.
There's a certain amount of romantics that gleam in the eyes of youth, who've been trained up in church to have a missionary mindset. If the Lord has burdened your heart for a particular people or nation, then so be it. Colossians 4:17, “Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it.”
65% Of
Japanese Don't Believe In God
(less than 0.5% profess to have
any faith in Christ)
