Our God is a missionary God. He is a God who pursues the lost. He is a God who sends His Son into this world to seek and to save what is lost. He is a God who gives the Spirit of wisdom, power and love to fulfill his purposes of redeeming countless multitudes from oppressive nations in rebellion against God and from the oppression of sin and Satan in their own lives. And all that, which he did in and through his Son, he now continues to do through us, his church, the body of Christ. NCMN is simply one more opportunity for this work of the church to come to expression.
There are many ways the NCMN churches can be involved with the global church, bringing God’s love to the nations. All of these global partner churches fully embrace proclaiming salvation by faith in Christ alone and are committed to an expression of the kingdom of God that pursues reconciliation across tribal and social divisions, and the practice of justice. In each of these relationship-based commitments, we have the opportunity to both help our brothers and sisters in their times of great need and assist them in some small way as they carry the love of God to the those walking in darkness in their surrounding culture and communities. In turn, the strength and humility of their faith and the deep lessons they have learned will help shape us for the advance of the Gospel in our own communities.
Our commitment is to walk together in genuine partnership, bringing relief and development where needed to support schools, provide basic medical care, and assist in training pastors for church planting. The mutual training and learning we do with pastors internationally serve the dual purposes of bearing one another’s burdens as God’s people and equipping the church to show that love to the world. Many non-Christians, whether Muslim, Animistic, Hindu, Buddhist or secular also are recipients of these ministries, while the good news of forgiveness of sins and restoration to God and each other in the name of Jesus Christ is proclaimed. Through these words and acts of kindness the nations are being discipled.
All God asks of us, what he has chosen us for and called us to, is that we simply take our part – however large or small that may seem to be – in the advance of his kingdom and salvation in this world. We are called upon to pray for the global church and to pray for the nations. We are also called to share our resources whenever we can. Some are called to physically go and participate with our missionary God by leaving their own homes and families for either short periods of time, or sometimes for a lifetime.
To follow the missionary God in his love for the world is all of our calling. It is a core part of what we were chosen for. What dignity, what honor, what privilege that we should be called the children of God.