Light In The Darkness

“You have already heard about this hope in the message of truth, the gospel that has come to you. It is bearing fruit and growing all over the world, just as it has among you since the day you heard it and recognized God’s grace in the truth.” – Colossians 1:5-6

Last night I watched as a missionary in Mumbai told about the horrors of slavery that exist all around him. He told of how young women are sold as slaves and forced in to prostitution. He told of how many of these women see up to fifteen customers a day for as little as $1 to $2. I continued to listen as one young woman stated that she is so hopeless that she has thought about suicide so many times.

While many people are not in physical slavery in our world today, there are billions of people who are in slavery to sin. What is really sad though is that most of them have no clue that they are a slave. If we knew of someone personally who was being held as a slave, I presume most of us would do everything we could to break them free from the chains of slavery. Why is it then that many in the church today are unconcerned about those trapped as a slave in the chains of sin? Why is it that we will not go and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them?

For many people, we are concerned about what we can see. If all of my family and friends are at church, then we see that and we are content with that but we abandon then billions of people to the darkness of sin. We leave them to wander, destined for Hell. Christian, you have heard the gospel! You know the life changing message! You have been saved from your sins, its penalty and now have eternal life in Heaven waiting for you. But there is more!

Imagine a man who has bought his train ticket. He is so excited that he finally got his ticket that he just stands on the platform and never gets on the train. He forgot to truly begin his journey. Likewise, many today are just concerned about punching their ticket to Heaven, being saved, that they forget to get on the train, meaning to go and grow.How will a lost world ever hear the Gospel if you do not go and share the Gospel with them? How will missionaries be strengthened to share the Gospel if we do not pray for them? How will they go if you do not give?

During this week of prayer for International Missions and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering I want to offer you a challenge, Christian:

• Would you commit to pray for our missionaries serving all around the world? Here is a link that can help you with praying: https://www.imb.org/pray/ 
• Would you commit to give to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering to help fund missionaries all around the world? You can give at your local church or you can donate here: https://www.imb.org/give/  
• Finally, will you commit to be a missionary yourself? Yes, you! As Christians we are all called to share the Gospel with all people all around the world. Will you pray that God will use you to share the Gospel? Remember this the next time you sing “Wherever He Leads I’ll Go.