William Carey was a missionary from Britain in the 1700s who promoted the idea of sending missionaries all over the globe, specifically to the areas that were commonly referred to at that time as the “heathen lands.” Not everyone was so excited about his ideas.
There were five objections that people raised against missions to “heathen” lands: their distance, their barbarism, the danger that would be incurred, the difficulties of support, and the unintelligible languages. One by one Carey answered these.
One of his key arguments:
The same obstacles had not prevented the merchants from going to distant shores. “It only requires,” William Carey wrote, “that we should have as much love to the souls of our fellow-creatures, and fellow sinners, as these merchants have for the profits arising from a few otter skins, and all these difficulties could be easily surmounted.”
–Bruce Shelley
We are called to be the most loving and compassionate people who exist. And we have the greatest news available that we are to share. And yet, still today we must ask ourselves if we love people who don’t yet know the news of Jesus as much as the “merchants” of today love money. Our merchants are still seeking to take their products to the uttermost parts of the world to gain more of what they love. Are we fighting just as hard to take our great news to the farthest places to gain more of what we are called to love… people… the treasures of heaven?
We are coming up on Christmas 2015. This would be a great time for each of us to consider how we might set a higher priority on gaining more treasure in heaven by supporting and giving to missions and finding new ways to impact our community, nation, and world for Christ.