I was reading Grudem's ST and I came across this, "All our obligations to God can be summarized in this: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all you mind... You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matt22:37-38). This is the "mission" of every believer in Christ: LOVE.

It's God's heart to reach the nations -- to be missional.

If the God of Israel was NOT concerned with the nations, He never would have sent the man, Jesus, to die for the sins of the Hebrew AND non-Hebrew people. And if God weren't concerned with the nations, the good news of redemption through this Hebrew messiah would have never left Israel nor would that message spread throughout Asia Minor.

The contemporary American church has been given the grace to sit in church each Sunday because someone was faithful to speak/write about "the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes; to the Jew first, AND ALSO TO THE GREEK."

If God weren't missional "the Greek" would not have been reached (and neither would you and I). Thank God for those who were faithful to leave their comfort zone to speak of Jesus in foreign lands. Question is, will we pay it forward?

So far my only question has to do with Britt's comments on the N. American Context. While there are many yet to be saved here and while it's very obvious that our culture is quickly going to hell, as you know we have many sustainable bible teaching, God glorifying congregations in our neighborhoods and at our fingertips. Those people chosen by God who are either currently uregenerate or those chosen yet physically unborn at this time will one day, no doubt, be saved. In North America, these folks have either already heard the message and so far have rejected it, or in the futrue will have plenty of opportunity to hear the Good News from the many pre-existing sources. Media; radio, tv, internet, as well as local churches, crusades.........are all already reaching out all over N.A., for the (chosen) lost it's not a matter of exposure or availability, it's just a matter of God's timing.

But, for the unreached, for those who have yet to hear at all - these people groups haven't the chance to hear and believe, to me this is the literal definition of missions. As you know it was Paul who indicated the difference in his ministry between evangelism and missions. In Rom 15:19-24 Paul is not moving on because all are already saved in the place where he is at, but because he is about missions and intending to go where no other preacher has been.

I realize that this is not news to you, but I wanted to share it quickly as I might imagine that as staff you may be reviewing the weekend's sermon. I loved it and still am inspired by it, but this is a point of question for me.

Wherever we are at and at all times the Christ follower is God's ambassador - this is our identity. whether we engage or ignore, it matters not - it's God's historical unchanging purpose for His children - but so far I see mission or missions differently, at least I think I do.

Perhaps I could sum it up this way; We are always ambassador's or God's ministers of reconciliation and wherever we are we must live that out, to not do so is simply disobedient. However, there are fields yet harvested, peoples yet to have heard the Gospel even once, where the laborers are few, these places need the Gospel now - it's "priority mail", or 911! Unlike here these places have a critical need, in those places they can't believe without hearing and can't hear without a preacher and a preacher won't go unless or until he/she is sent. So for those places and people we must pray, send and go, until every tribe, tongue and nation has heard.