“Questions I am asked”  This is the title of a new series of blog posts I will be addressing from time to time.  We meet all sorts of people who ask us various questions.  Some questions come up more than others but all of them are interesting.  I will address one of the more common questions I am asked.

Why the Foreign Mission Field?

What a great question!  Doesn’t the United States need more churches?  Yes, the United States certainly needs more churches.  We need an “awakening” in our generation!  There is a great need here.  So why the foreign mission field when there is a need here in the States?

Here are a few of the things that compelled us to the foreign mission field…

• The Great Commission is a Global Commission!  Jesus did not say “Go into your own country, to your own people and tell about Jesus, baptize, and teach whatsoever things I have commanded you…”  No.  Jesus made clear, “Go ye therefore, and teach ALL NATIONS…” (Matthew 28:19).  Jesus’ commission to take the Gospel was global, to all nations.
  • This commission is also given to us in reference to people.  In other words, God does not call us to lakes, mountains, or grass.  Jesus commissioned us to take the Gospel to the people of the word!
• According to “www.census.gov”, there are currently around 320,000,000 people that live INSIDE the United States of America.  According to “www.census.gov”, there are currently over 7 billion people living in the world.
  • That means that the population of the United States makes up less than 5% of the world’s population.
  • To put it another way, 95% of the people living today live OUTSIDE the United States!

So what does all this mean?  Statistically speaking, if God sends us to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus to people, there is a 95% chance that I will be doing so outside of the United States.  I know that statistics alone are not what determine God’s path for our lives, but these things should weigh heavy on us and should at least be considered.

To make the foreign field even more compelling, we should consider where Bible College and Seminary graduates are serving.  I have heard raw statistics on this, but cannot back them up so I will not use them.  What I will make clear is that most of our (the U.S.) Bible College and Seminary graduates stay inside the United States to minister.  With 95% of the world’s population outside the United States, one would think that the majority of our preachers and teachers would be going to the foreign mission field.  Sadly, this is not true.

To sum it up, why we are going to the foreign mission field is because Jesus’ commission is a global commission, the harvest is unfathomably large and the laborers are staggeringly low.

Will you consider the foreign mission field as your place of service?