Serve

• Whether you’re young, middle-aged or older…
• Whether you’re retired, employed, or still looking towards a career…
• Whether you have just one week, or two years, or your life ahead to offer…

… you’ll find opportunities for missionary service with NCEM!

Why are we doing this? What’s the real reason for missions?

It was Mark Twain who said, “It’s not the parts of the Bible I don’t understand that bother me, it’s the part I do understand.”

Could we have that same problem, especially when it comes to Christ’s Great Commission: “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:19,20)? We can so easily make excuses for not obeying Jesus’ very understandable command to all His followers.

The truth is that missions is not an option — we must reach the world! And while we need to be reaching our home neighborhoods and communities, we also need to be involved in getting the Gospel to those beyond the scope of our local churches.

So each of us must seek to know our own role in world missions. But what should be motivating us? … just those few words* of Jesus?

In one of his books, former SIM director Ian Hay lists five possible motives for missionary service: (1) human need; (2) the fear of God; (3) eternal rewards; (4) a love for God; and (5) God’s love for people. He says that all are good (and even biblical), but that none of these is sufficient … except one!

Human needs — spiritual, social, physical — will eventually overwhelm us, or make us callous. A fear of God can motivate us, but that alone will likely produce more anxiety than good results. A heavenly crown is worth working for, but present realities will over cloud its view. A love for God is among the best of motivations but, like Peter, in moments of weakness we too may fail Christ.

One motivation surpasses them all — it is the real reason for missions.

2 Corinthians 5:14 says: “Christ’s love compels us.” (One modern translation says, “The love of Christ leaves me no choice.”) When we grasp how much Jesus has done for each one of us, we will have no other option. We will serve Him … anywhere and at any cost!

We in NCEM are simply men and women who recognize that we have been blessed in order that, through us, Canada’s First Peoples might also be blessed.

*Besides Matthew 28:19,20 — also Mark 16:15; Luke 24:47; John 20:21; Acts 1:8.