Matthew 28:19-20, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”
Mark 16:14-15, “Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. 15And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”
I was asked the other day why I needed to go to India when there are plenty of places to evangelize here. The argument was that we should not even go to other countries, but instead just focus on our own country. He said that we are to make disciples and not evangelize, meaning that we are to invest in people and we can only do that by being part of the nation and spending time with them. The verses above were used to support the belief of not evangelizing other nations and staying in your home country.
First, I believe that this person is correct in that we need to disciple people and it is lacking everywhere. It is heavily needed in the United States. I also agree that to just evangelize in other countries without discipleship programs set up or prepared for new believers then it will cause problems in the future for the believers.
But to say that we are not to go into all the world and preach the word is against the very Word of God and the verses stated in the beginning. The nations and all the world used above signify more then just your community or nation, but anywhere that has not heard the name of Christ. If we do not go then how will they know? If the people in Jerusalem just focused on them and said that they were not to take it anywhere else then why were the Gentiles saved? How did we ever get the Good News if we are not to go into other nations, as only Jews should be Christians then?
My guess is that people become upset with short stints that people participate in where they build something or just go because their friends are going (which happens a lot in high school trips). Seems to be a lot of money used for things and not for preaching Christ and growing in Him. But what if a young adult or adult goes just for the experience and encounters Christ, would that not be worth it? Spend $10,000 for one soul to come to Christ, is that too much? Though money could be used more efficiently, we should not put a price tag on those that come to Christ and be willing to spend what it takes. We do need more accountability with what we do and how we do it, but lets not base it on that it is not needed. Missions are not only for those we go to at times, but for us and sometimes more for us then them.
Lastly, how can one disciple if we do not evangelize first? In order for one to know Christ, he/she has to be told, which is evangelizing. Then there is growing in Him through people investing in them and that is discipleship. We are to go into all the nations teaching, preaching and discipling for the cause of Christ.
How does a country come to know Christ if no one goes? How do they grow in Christ if missionaries do not stay? To just keep Christ to ourselves is selfish and sinful and I would not want to stand before God and tell Him that we just kept His salvation to ourselves. Shout it out from the mountain tops; shout it to the entire world so that everyone may know about Christ. That is our calling, to tell people about Christ. That is what disciples do; they tell others by the way they walk, the way the talk. They go as Jesus did and go, as He did when He talked with others outside His nation and people.
If God is calling you then go. It is more important to answer God then man. We are told to go into all nations. Not some or just your own, but ALL. I thank God for all those men and women who go into lands where the Word of God has not been heard and risk their lives for the cause of someone coming to know Christ as Savior and Lord.
Just a foot note, Mark 16:9-20 is not found in the earliest Greek manuscripts and thus any doctrine of belief needs to be based on other Scriptures for complete truth, but even then Mark says that we are to go into all the world.
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