In 2005 a man I had never met came up to me and through him, my life was saved. I was a drunk, suicidal mess. I did not know what to do with my sin. How could I ever come back to God? As he looked me in the eyes and told me of the love of God, I knew that God loved me despite my sin, and that God could take away my sin and pain. His words changed my life forever.
In 2019 I sat with a man from a different faith. As I looked him in the eyes, I asked Him if he was sure that he would go to heaven when he died. He looked at me, “I hope so, but I don’t know what I would do with my sin.” As I told him that Jesus could forgive his sins and wanted to save him, he began to pray and receive Jesus as His Lord and Saviour, His life was being transformed forever.
In 2021 and 2022 I watched as over 100,000 people gave their lives to Jesus in Youth Crusades. I wondered if their lives were really being transformed like mine? I asked a local Pastor who was working in Prison Ministry, “How did you come to know Jesus?” “In a Youth Crusade, when someone like you shared the gospel with me.” 100,000 lives changed forever!
In about 30 AD Jesus looked at His disciples and said, “As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” (John 20:21). Jesus was God’s ambassador on earth, telling the world the way to be saved and come back to God. He now makes us his ambassadors. There is no plan B, we are it.
Why do I go? The answer is simple, “Because people matter to God, and if we don’t share the love of God with people, who will?” There is no back up plan. He chooses to use you and I to reach the lost.
The Bible says in Romans 10.
“14How then can they call on the One in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach?ย 15Andย howย can they preachย unlessย they are sent?ย Asย it is written:ย โHowย beautiful areย theย feetย of those whoย bring good news!โย
We must go. We must preach. We must send.
I often ask myself, is it worth it. As I fly into Asia today, I ask the question once again. Is it worth the money, the time, the long nights, the long flights, the loss of comfort. Why go? Is it worth it?
I thank God, to that stranger in 2005 I was worth it.
Everyone is someone to God.
Everyone is worth you going. Just one person’s life is worth it.
Let me encourage you, share the gospel with someone today and if you can, send others to do the same.
Your friend in the harvest fields,
Andrew