First World Missions

From a first world perspective.

Many have heard Acts chapter one verse eight. It has been quoted many times through

the years in Apostolic messages. It says this:

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:

and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea,

and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

In this blog, I’m going to address some of the unspoken predispositions about reaching a

first world country. First, I will go through the Scripture that has been quoted, then we

will continue on. In this blog, as in all things, I strive to grow my knowledge of the Word

of God, and to learn about the Character of God. The Scripture quoted above is oft-

times used as a missions illustration. If you have been in church for very long, I’m sure

you have heard it said, "Where is your Jerusalem? Where is your Samaria?” I’m going

to follow along-side that train of thought here for a moment.

In Jerusalem there is, “the metropolis” of Judea if you will. From this perspective,

Jerusalem would be similar to each and every one of the cities in which we reside and

toil today. It is the place where we know the most people and where we have the most

influence. Let me interject here, if you don’t have Godly influence within the community

in which you live, but only in the church which you frequent, then there is an issue. (No,

I’m not saying you need to be the nutcase that everyone stares at walking through the

grocery store.) But all of us must have Godly influence on the people around us. We

must have influence in our place of business, in our schools which we attend, in the

stores where we buy our goods, and throughout the neighborhoods we live, period.

The New Testament details a time in which Judea existed as a place distinct from

Samaria and Galilee, yet still connected to greater Israel. Geographically speaking,

Judea back then is much like the state or country in which one lives today. As an

American, I have only known American tactics of outreach and revival. On the flip-side,

I have also participated in complacency towards my state and my country when it comes

to outreach. I think many do this because it is easy to think,” Well someone else can go

there, or another church can reach there.” But if I may offer this: revival must be spread

throughout the entire United States. It must be in every state, and every community.

Speaking of Samaria, Matthew chapter ten verse five says:

“These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into

the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:”

This was a place which no Jew was to go to. The Samaritans were people considered the

lowest of the low. The Jews saw them as some of the most disgusting people on the

planet. I dare say that there may even be a few countries in our world today that we

think of in a similar fashion to how the Jews thought of the Samaritans. I am, of course,

only speaking from an American point of view. I do not know the mindset of other

countries, or why they do what they do. But historically speaking, Americans, like many

nations, have placed themselves ahead of many other countries in their minds. We have

been posed against many armies throughout history. Most recently, we have

experienced war in the Middle East. But what if these countries were America’s

Samaria? I have heard people disregard the work of missions in Middle Eastern

countries because of those misguided predispositions, but this Scripture should compel

us to go to the unloved and the unreached. I’m thankful for the missions work in the

Middle East, and the revival going on there. Everyone needs the message we preach.

“Unto the uttermost parts of the earth.” Romans chapter ten verse eighteen gives the

reader a quick taste of “the uttermost” when is says:

“But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the

earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.”

The uttermost means the rest of our lost and dying world. And this speaks to the title of

this blog, First World Missions. Ask anyone you know in the church or out of the church

the question: “What is missions?” They will more than likely answer with: “Missions is

when you go to help people that don’t have anything in a third world country.” I’m sure

you know this, but it is often times misunderstood: Missions is an important assignment

from God given to a person or a group of people, and it typically involves traveling away

from where you are.” This definition implies that, as long as you are given an important

assignment by God and you are willing to go, you can be a missionary.

My wife, and I are in Zurich, Switzerland. We have been here for almost a month

now. We have seen already God move in ways that we have never seen before. We too,

were included in the group of people with misguided predispositions. We believed that if

we were going to be involved in missions, then we were going to have church on dirt

floors with no air conditioning and no clean water. We were under the impression that

the people we reach while being involved in missions would consist of basically

homeless people living in huts. This may be true for some missions fields, but not every

missions field will be in what is defined as a “third world country.”

My question is, what is a first world country, and why must we reach for them

with the same fervency as the third world countries? The term, “first world” once

referred to a country that was aligned with the United States and other Western nations

in opposition to the former-Soviet Union and its allies during the Cold War. Since the

collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, this use of the term has largely evolved. [1] In years

past the definition of first world has shifted slightly, and now the definition sounds a

little something like this: “A developed and industrialized country characterized by

political stability, democracy, rule of law, a capitalist economy, economic stability and a

high standard of living. Various metrics have been used to define first world nations,

including GDP, GNP and literacy rates. [1] “

In essence, now first world countries are developed countries. Until very recently,

Switzerland was considered third world because of the former definitions, but now it is

recognized as a first world country. To answer the question, “why we must reach for first

world countries with the same fervency as third world countries?” I will say this—the

answer is easy: souls.

The goal of every Godly mission is to reach for lost souls. Every language, every

race, and every country should have the chance to come to Jesus Christ.

In conclusion, we must reach for every soul regardless of province, culture, and

status. What does a soul cost to you? To Jesus it cost his life, and to all of us called His

disciples, it will cost the same. Disregard status, and pray for the lost, the broken, and

the hurting people of every nation. There is one thing you have that they need, and that

is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

[1] : Quoted from, https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/first-world.asp