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

From the very beginning, God has made it abundantly clear that His intention was, is, and always will be, for the whole earth to be covered with the knowledge and glory of Himself.

Adam: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth…” Ge. 1:28a ESV

Noah: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth…” Ge. 9:1 ESV

The Tower of Babel: God’s judgment against the people’s decision to stay in one place rather than disperse throughout the earth as God had commanded Noah. Ge. 11:4, “Then they (the people) said…lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” “And the Lord said…’Come let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.’ So, the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth…” Ge.11:6a, 7-8a ESV

The Children of Israel in the Wilderness: “Then the Lord said…but truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord…” Nu. 14: 20a, 21 NKJV

Through Isaiah the Prophet: “he (God) says, ‘It is too light a thing that you (speaking of Jesus) should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.’” Isa. 49:6 ESV

Jesus Himself: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” Mt. 28: 19a; “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” Mk. 16:15 ESV

When the Church finally completes its commission to go to all the nations in the whole earth, the purpose of God will be completed and we will be gathered around His throne in heaven with the multitude “…from every tribe and language and people and nation…” Rev. 5:9b ESV But that cannot happen until we, the Church, finish the work Jesus commissioned us to accomplish.

There is a common saying that speaks to the responsibility of each person in their own generation for completing the Great Commission. It says: “If not you, then who? If not now, then when?” The answer to these questions is simply this: There is no other “who” except the Body of Christ, the Church, and there is no acceptable time other than now. 

But you may ask, “Isn’t Christian TV already reaching the whole world?” The answer is, no, it isn’t. It reaches a goodly portion of the whole world, but not nearly ALL of it.

Besides, Christian TV cannot establish a congregation of new believers as a visible, physical presence of God in their nation. Neither can it take the place of pastors and teachers who can, and will, establish new believers in their new-found faith. God still needs flesh and blood ministers working among the people.

The Good News is: God is already at work to send new ambassadors to the unreached areas of the world’s population. I cannot tell you the height of my joy over learning this truth. The eyes of the American Church are being opened again to the fact that much of the world has never heard the Good News; the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

How do I know this? I see God calling some of the young people in my home church, and they are answering the call. I see that same thing happening in other churches, also. And... just last month there was an event on the Washington Mall called Awake the Dawn that drew Christians from all across America to intercede for our nation and to challenge the hearts of believers to answer the call of God to foreign missions ministry. After prayer and exhorting the people, the leader said, “Who in sincerity of heart can honestly say to the Lord, ‘ Send me to the nations,’ take off your shoes and hold them up.” Thousands. Yes, I said, thousands of people, mostly young and some older, took off their shoes and held them up in the air! It was a wonderful sight to behold! 

God is moving by His Spirit once again! Thank you, Lord.

I hope you are catching the vision: Pastors on all levels, and ordinary Christians alike. I hope you are praying for the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into His harvest. I hope you want to be found faithful, doing your part to see the Great Commission completed in our day.

Dear Partners

In this season of giving thanks, my heart is filled with a more than usual measure of thankfulness for your years of faithful partnership with us in the Gospel. We have “walked together” in many places of this world, raising up national leaders to shoulder the work of the ministry in their own lands, and God has honored our labors. Thank you for standing with us in financial and prayer support. I know the Lord will continue to bless you in every area of your life. And that also makes me thankful.

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

Yours in missions,

Mary Ann Cassidy