Missions Conference - Give the Gospel
Why is a missions conference so important in the life of a young person?
I'm excited about this years missions conference. I know it changes our routines just a little bit, but I think we have a tremendous opportunity before us. The questions is are you taking advantage of this opportunity? How does missions conference fit into the life of a Christian teenager or young adult? Allow me to challenge you with some thoughts for missions conference.
Missions Conference expands our vision past ourselves.
Sometimes as Americans we forget about how blessed we really are. We are unhappy because we don't have a "new" outfit to wear to our special occasions or our iPod is "only a third generation." We get upset because our basketball socks don't have logos, or because our instagram posts only have two likes. (Don't think I'm just picking on young people, I struggle with the same carnal feelings.) Missions conference reminds me that there are people around the world with real struggles! These young people don't have food, clothing, or sometimes even families! This changes the perspective on my first world problems. The greatest tragedy is that some of the people in the missionary presentations have never heard the gospel. There are people in this world who have never heard of Jesus and do not have a copy of God's Word, and we don't even bother to read our Bibles or even bring them to church. As you sit through missions conference, remind yourself that God has truly blessed you! Remember there is a world outside of yours. So the next time you get despondent because you don't have or can't do, remember there are people in this world that don't have anything.
Missions Conference establishes that the gospel still works.
As we move through our weekly routines of youth group, school, and sometimes work, we must be challenged often that sharing the gospel is important! There are moments when we start to convince ourselves that the gospel is not as powerful as it was "back in the good old days." Paul said in Romans 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." I love sitting in missions conference and hearing the amazing stories of people being brought to a knowledge of the Savior. It's thrilling to hear of people in other cultures where lives are being changed because someone cared enough to bring them the gospel. The gospel still works! Every now and then, we have to be reminded of this. Missions conference brings me back to the importance of the gospel!
Missions Conference enables an opportunity to give.
Yes, you read that correctly! Missions conference gives you, as a young person, a chance to give. It's humorous, how sometimes we don't expect a teenager or young adult to give to the proclamation of the gospel. A teenage guy can brag about spending $20+ at McDonalds for food, but we can't give $5 to missions? On a youth group trip, a teenager will walk out of a convenience store with enough snacks to feed a small African village, but somehow we don't have the funds to give to foreign missions. Don't worry, I'm not trying to take all of your small amount of expendable income, but I do want us to be challenged to invest in what is eternal. Jesus issued the same challenge in Matthew 6:19-20, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal." Young person allow God to use you, no one is expecting you to give a million dollars. Missions Conference helps develop a heart that desires to invest in eternity.