We Serve a Global God, We Must Not Forget the Global Church

I often can only consider the needs that are right in front of my face. Sometimes that is very purposeful; because we live in such a loud world, I need to quiet those voices that want to distract me by pulling me towards focusing on problems I can’t fix. I intentionally lean into my little world seeking to be faithful in my little. But in my efforts to protect my sanity, I cannot forget God’s call to care for and spread the good news of Jesus to the nations (Matthew 28:18–20; Acts 1:8).

The nations feel far, their needs hard, and we also have so many issues right here. How can we be worried about the unreached people of the world? Yet, sharing the good news is very close to God’s heart. It matters because God needs us for the good news to be shared across the globe.

Thankfully, missions can be something we engage in with more ease than we might expect. So much of the American church is so focused on our projects here that even the smallest shift towards global missions can make a massive impact on more of the world.

Supporting Global Missions Financially Matters

We know that only 0.1% of all Christian giving is directed toward mission efforts in the 38 most unevangelized countries in the world. A vast majority of mission giving goes towards those who are already a part of the Christian church. In general, American Christians give about 95% of their offerings to home-based ministries, leaving global missions vastly underfunded and undervalued in our faith communities. An easy way to expand your participation in God’s call to spread the gospel is to expand the ways you give your money.

We live in a part of the world where we are blessed with much, so we are expected to give with a great level of generosity. We do not want to give blindly, however so many missions organizations and individuals that are willing to dedicate their lives to mission work cannot expand because they are not well funded. Loving our global neighbor well can begin with us prioritizing giving to those who are called.

Connect with a work that overlaps with your life. Do you know a church that invests in a specific community in a different part of the world? Do you really love a particular type of food or learning about a specific culture? Is your heart moved by the idea of undernourished children? Lean into those places of interest and ask God to reveal a way to invest in making a difference through those who work in these places for God’s glory.

Pray for the Global Church

We read the psalmist call for God’s glory to be declared among the nations and his great works to be seen among all peoples (Psalm 96:3). We serve a great and glorious God who spurs us to pray that the whole world would bow in worship. There is such beauty when those from different places and backgrounds come together in unity to worship the one true God! 

As we see the nations worship, we see a more complete picture of God’s beloved bride. This bride is not called to be a western, white, or rich one. It includes people from every tongue, tribe, nation and culture. Such unity is more stunning than we could ever imagine. Seeing the world come to Jesus should excite our hearts as it’s the best glimpse we have of Heaven while here on earth.

While we may not all have the chance to go and share the good news in Iraq or other closed nations, we can pray for God to reveal himself powerfully in these places. The exciting truth is that God is showing up in power across the globe and really when we join in prayer, we get the privilege to become a part of this exciting reality.

My brother recently spent time in Iraq praying and sharing with native Christians from the area. They shared reports of meeting a man with a face of fire in visions, and they responded by giving their lives in service to him. They are meeting Jesus through divine encounter. God’s grace is so abundant and his love is unfailing. He is being revealed in every part of the globe and when we join in praying for the nations, we join in His glory, which is being revealed through good works across the nations.