By David Jeremiah
How shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach
unless they are sent? Romans 10:14-15
The story of the Church is interwoven with the history of missions. It’s the record of an endless parade of characters who have been sent—and who have willingly gone. Take, for example, Robert Morrison, who was born in Scotland in 1782. He became a Christian as a teenager and joined a prayer meeting that met every Monday in his father’s workshop. The London Missionary Society sent him out in 1807 as the first Protestant missionary to China, and his story is more exciting than a movie.
Morrison served 27 years and saw less than a dozen people come to Christ during the entirety of his ministry. Yet he opened the door and paved the way for the millions of conversions that have reshaped the story of modern China.
The priority of the Church is the Great Commission, to go into the world and preach the Gospel. We must share Christ wherever we are, and we must keep sending others to go where we cannot. You may feel the results may sometimes seem meager, but don’t be discouraged. Your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time and always start with the person nearest you. —Mother Teresa