The Church’s Missionary Call

“Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets and teachers: Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.”  Acts 13:1-3

“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’”  Matthew 28:18-20

This missionary hymn from the burdened heart of A.B. Simpson states well the call of the world missions:

“A hundred thousand souls a day,
Are passing one by one away,
In Christless guilt and gloom.
Without one ray of hope or light,
With future dark as endless night,
They’re passing to their doom.

Armies of prayer your promise claim
Prove the full power of Jesus’ name
And take the victory.
Your conquering Captain leads you on,
The glorious fight may still be won,
This very century.

The Master’s coming draweth near,
The Son of Man will soon appear,
His Kingdom is at hand.
But ere that glorious day can be,
This Gospel of the Kingdom,
We must preach in every land.

O let us then His coming haste,
O let us end this awful waste
Of souls that never die.
A thousand million still are lost,
A Savior’s blood has paid the cost,
O hear their dying cry.

They’re passing, passing fast away,
A hundred thousand souls a day,
In Christless guilt and gloom.   
O Church of Christ, what wilt thou say
When in the awful judgement day,
They charge thee with their doom?”

Every church should support two pastors -
for the thousands at home, for the millions abroad.