Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…

Matthew 28:19

The passage above from Matthew’s Gospel has come down to us as “The Great Commission.”  It is one of the final commands of Jesus recorded from his earthly ministry.  We are called to be a people who take the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit to the nations and, after seeing them respond in faith to Christ, baptize them in that same name (“name” here, incidentally, is singular, giving us a strong Trinitarian formula that indicates that all three Persons of the Trinity go by one Name – God).

This Sunday we conclude our annual Missions Emphasis.  We themed our emphasis this year, “Open Doors.”  We’ve considered our missions outreach from a “here, near, and far” approach.  This Sunday, I will very briefly consider why we do that from Acts 1:8: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. I will then take the “Why we participate in missions” and explain “How we participate in missions at LifePoint.”  We will then receive your pledges that will be earmarked exclusively for missions outreach in 2027.  Many will give, some will give abundantly, some will be unable to give financially, but will commit to praying for our missions efforts and our missionaries.  I pray that all our members will participate in one manner or another.

My obvious hope and prayer each year is that our Faith Promise will increase both by a greater percentage of our membership participating in giving and/or committing to pray, and in the amount of funding raised.  More important than the dollars raised, however, is our overall commitment here at LifePoint to the Great Commission that Jesus has given to all believers.  That we …Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you, and behold, I will be with you, even to the end of the age (Matt. 28:19-20). We are called to do that here in Indianapolis, in our own surrounding region, in our nation, and ultimately, to the world at large. One of the ways we try to obey this call is to give to legitimate missions work.  A good awareness of the need for Bible translation work, evangelism, caring for orphans and widows, and spreading the great Name of Jesus is necessary to our endeavors. Our world desperately needs to hear the good news of the gospel, and that message has been made known to us solely through the word of God in his Son, Jesus.

I hope you will prayerfully consider continuing to partner with the church in missions in 2027, or to begin that partnership for the first time this year.  We give so that others may hear the same good news that transformed our lives and gave us hope not only for today, but for the future as well.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Jym

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