Two Ways to Evangelize the World

[My first guest blogger on The Rio Adventure is none other that Mr. Garrett Milovich. Once you’re done here head on over to his blog and subscribe! His recent movie reviews have been most enlightening and entertaining, and you don’t want to miss out what else he has to say!] 

 

When it comes down to it, there are basically two ways to evangelize the world.

The first way is to move to a foreign country and just start preaching.  Sell off most of your stuff, pack up what’s left, get a passport at your local library, buy a one-way ticket to China, Ethiopia, India, or Brazil, load Rosetta Stone on your iPod, and go.  In addition to learning a foreign language, convincing a foreign government to let you stay, and starting a church where you are suddenly the foreigner amidst a bunch of locals, this daunting task requires something else, too: a calling.

Not anyone can just move to another country and start a church.  Well, I guess anyone can do it.  After all, we do live in a free country.  And depending on the level of freedom in the country you want to move to, I guess you could just decide to go.  But that’s not how it’s supposed to work.  You aren’t supposed to arbitrarily move to some country and label yourself a “missionary.”  You’re supposed to be sent by God.  Some of us, like Josh and Hannah Adams, have been called by God to international missions.  Others, like me, have not.

Which leads me to number two.

The second way to evangelize the world, the way which doesn’t involve uprooting your entire life and heading for a developing country on the other side of the globe, is a bit more straightforward: support missionaries.

A great man of God (and a personal friend) once said something that has stuck with me for years.  “My heart burns to reach college campuses, but I’m not called to preach on college campuses.”  And that’s true.  This man is definitely not called to preach at colleges around the country.  He is over seventy years old, has white curly hair, and wears jeans that I’m fairly confident he inherited from his great-grandfather.  He isn’t called to preach to college students.  But what he said next changed my view of missions:

“I may not be called to preach on college campuses, but every time I give to on-campus ministries, I am reaching college students with the gospel.”

You may not be called to personally preach to the citizens of a foreign nation, but every single one of us is called to support those that are called, people like the Adams’.  And when you support missionaries, you are effectively preaching the gospel to those lost citizens.

And there are three basic ways you can support foreign missions.

• You can support missionaries financially.  Sending something as simple as $30 a month can go a long way.
• You can support missionaries through prayer.  Praying for opened doors, opened hearts, and opened heavens is the primary way to change the world.
• You can support missionaries by spreading awareness.  Let others know about the work that the Adams’ and others are doing.  We’re all a part of the same family, and it’s good to know what your family is up to.

So, there you have it.  Two ways to reach the world for Jesus.  Go yourself, or send those who are called to go.

What are you waiting for?  Go reach the world!

 

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Garrett Milovich is a Christian teacher from Orange County, California.  He can’t jump very high or sing very well, but he’s good at a few other things, like teaching people about God and discussing who would win in a fight between Batman and Superman.  Check out his blog at http://www.GarrettMilovich.com.

 

His first book, Unfair Advantage, is due to be released in June 2014.  “Like” him on Facebook to get updates about his book and his blog:

https://www.facebook.com/GMilovich.