Why Do We Share the Good News About Jesus With All Peoples?

1. We are followers of Jesus the Messiah. This means that He is our Lord and therefore has authority and supreme importance in our lives. We seek to live for Jesus and His glory and the furthering of the good news about Him.[i]
2. What is this good news? Though we deserve God’s eternal punishment because of our sin, we can have peace with God, be forgiven of our sins, be freed from shame by being counted as perfectly righteous through union with Christ and His righteousness, and have the assurance of eternal life through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.[ii]
3. It is our duty and delight to share the good news with all the peoples of the world, because Jesus commanded us to do so.[iii]
4. Therefore, we live in the world as ambassadors for Christ, entreating men and women everywhere to be reconciled to God and to one another.[iv]
5. We, who come from many cultures, countries and backgrounds, offer this message of salvation, certainty and peace with God and others to all people in love, with respect and cultural sensitivity, without external human coercion or material incentive.[v] We do not seek profit nor honor, but the joy of all peoples.[vi]
6. We believe that only God can change a person’s heart and soul.[vii] For many, religious titles reflect an external, cultural identity. Instead of focusing on external labels, we invite all people to an inward change and eternal relationship with the almighty, wise and good God by trusting in Jesus.[viii]
7. We rejoice that those who trust in Christ are inwardly changed by the gospel they have embraced, and then become instruments of blessing and transformation to the communities where they live.[ix]
8. As followers of Jesus, we are commanded and empowered to do good deeds. In this way we imitate Jesus, honor God and seek healing in a hurting world.[x]
9. For us, all of life is devoted to Jesus. Therefore, wherever we live and whatever our occupation, our work is witness and we witness at work.[xi]
10. Jesus and the good news about Him are so precious to us that we are willing to sacrifice and suffer in order to give people an opportunity to know the good news about Him.[xii]

[i]  Philippians 1:21; 3:6-11; Colossians 1:15-18
[ii] Acts 10:43; Romans 5:1; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; Romans 6:23
[iii] Matthew 28:18-20; John 20:21; Romans 15:20-22; 1 Corinthians 9:19-23
[iv] 2 Corinthians 6:18; Ephesians 2:14-16
[v] 1 Corinthians 16:14; 1 Peter 3:15; Romans 12:17-18; 1 Corinthians 9:14-18
[vi] Psalm 67:4
[vii] John 6:44
[viii] 2 Corinthians 5:17-20; John 3:3-7; Ezekiel 36:26-27
[ix] Historically, religious voluntary organizations have had a huge positive impact on international development. It has been estimated that such organizations are responsible for roughly 70 percent of the work of international development, having founded, for example, more than half of the colleges and hospitals of Africa and Asia. (source: Dr. R.D. Winter, William Carey International University)
[x] Matthew 5:16; Acts 10:38; Galatians 5:22-25; Ephesians 2:10; Titus 2:7,14; Titus 3:8,14
[xi] Colossians 3:17, 23; 1 Corinthians 10:31
[xii] Philippians 1:29; Acts 5:41