From Mary Ann's Desk...

“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” Matthew 24:14

GOD IS CALLING

When will the Church finish the work Jesus left for us to do? 

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations….” Matthew 28:19a (NKJV)

There’s a great big world out there, outside our own borders.

According to Wikipedia, “The world population was estimated to have reached 7.5 billion in April 2017.” 

According to Internet World Stats, the top ten (10) most populated countries today are:

#1 – China with 1.388 Billion. Projected to be 1.301 Billion in 2050

#2 – India with 1.342 Billion. Projected to be 1.656 Billion in 2050

#3 – United States with 326.4 Million. Projected to be 398.3 Million in 2050

#4 – Indonesia; #5 Brazil; #6 Pakistan

#7 – Nigeria with 191.8 Million. Projected to be 391.3 Million in 2050.

According to these projections, India will become #1, China will drop to #2, the United States will be #3, and Nigeria will rise to #4. 

However, this same report projects that at the year 2100, India will be #1, China will be #2, Nigeria will be #3, and the United States will drop to #4.

Notice that the United States does not have, nor will it yet have a population of even one-half Million at the turn of the century.

How many Million does it take to make 1 Billion? 1,000 Million. We are a long way from being the nation with the world’s largest population. In fact, as of this year, over one-third (36%) of the world’s population resides in China and India alone. 

Yet, for at least more than a century, the United States has sent the largest number of missionaries to other nations than any other nation in the world, according to Christianity Today. And, we have popped our suspenders, so to speak, over this fact.

Last month, I said the job of taking the gospel of the kingdom to all the nations of the world is too big for America alone. And it is. But, guess what. We are not the only country sending missionaries. And that is exactly as it should be. However, that fact does not excuse American Christians from their continuing responsibility to GO. We Americans still need to answer the Call and GO.

Interestingly, Christianity Today reports that the Palestinian Christians actually rank #1 based on number sent per million church members. It says, “This country’s vibrant population of Christians send 3,401 missionaries for every million Christians…followed by Ireland, Malta, and Samoa. (Interestingly, South Korea ranks No. 5 at 1,014 missionaries sent per million church members, a sign of the continued strength of its missions movement compared to the No. 9-ranked United States at 614 missionaries sent).”

And these are not the only other countries besides the United States that are sending missionaries. Full-time missionaries. We Americans are not doing this job by ourselves.

The point is: God is calling American Christians to lift up their eyes to the fields of this great big world out there that needs laborers to go and harvest them for Jesus. (John 4:35b)

You may say, “Mary Ann, why are you telling me these things?” So that, hopefully, you will answer “Yes” if the Lord is calling you. Or, so that you will pray with understanding of the great need in this world for the gospel to be taken to people in faraway places. (BTW, there is more information on this subject that I will be sharing with you in the future. I want you to be well informed.) 

An encouraging note: I am becoming more and more aware of the great number of “younger generations” people in our own country who are on fire for the Lord. I cannot tell you how happy this makes me. With that in mind, I know the Lord is calling many of them to answer His call to them for Full-Time Missionary Service in whatever part of the world He wants to send them.

So, I continue to Cast the Net in whatever way/s I can, so that the Call goes out and can be answered.

TO OUR PARTNERS

Thank you for you faithful financial and prayer support of this ministry. You are the grease that greases the wheels, and you are important to us and to the Lord. God bless you richly. 

Because there are over 4.4 billion people in the world who still need Jesus, I remain

Yours in missions,

Mary Ann Cassidy