By Alex Doty
Alex is the student president of the Student Mission Fellowhsip at Toccoa Falls College, is part Turkish,and has a zeal for Turkey
There are many things you might picture and imagine when you think about the heartbeat of God. I believe the heartbeat of God is his desire to see every unreached people group around the world reached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
When I think about God’s heartbeat, I contemplate the passage of 2 Peter 3:9, which says “He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” God’s desire is that everyone should come to know him.
Personally, I believe that our generation could be the one to see the Gospel taken to the nations in our lifetime. But, what will it take for us as the body of Christ to see the Gospel taken to every unreached people group around the world?
Can our generation accept this challenge? Are we willing to take the challenge? I believe the answer is YES.
When I say YES, I want you to understand and to embrace the need for the Gospel around the world. There are still thousands of people groups around the world that still do not have the word of God in their own mother tongue.
How amazing would it be to let God use you to bring his Word to a group of people that have never heard the name of Jesus even spoken in their entire lives? One of the largest needs in missions today is the need for career missionaries among the least-reached.
The church has begun to focus so much on short-term missions, which can be very effective. Do not get me wrong, I am not saying that short-term missions work is wrong, because it is great. But, for the Gospel to truly penetrate a culture, it takes years of living with and of loving a people group.
When I think about the least-reached, I embrace the apostle Paul when he says, “How then can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?
And howcan they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’ What personal things will hinder us from seeing the Gospel taken to the nations? Money? Spiritual inadequacy?
Personal dreams and desires? Friends? Parents? Fear? I believe there are many obstacles that missions has to face today, but I believe that God will work through our generation despite these obstacles, if we are willing to answer the call.
I believe that every believer is called to embrace missions. I do not believe every believer is called to be a missionary. Missions needs prayer warriors, givers, senders, and goers. This means that every believer in Christ needs to find their individual role in missions.
I believe that for us to embrace God’s heartbeat is to see his Word taken to the nations. We must let the body of Christ function as it was intended to be. It must pray, it must give, it must send, and it must go.
