New to the Space

by Rev James M. Armpriester, Jr 

Missions Week

WEEK 8 DAY 3 — A HEART FOR THE MISSION OF GOD

The mission of God is that disciples would be made in every nation, being taught and baptized everywhere throughout the world. 

And you are a vital part of that mission. 

In the book of Romans, in chapter 10, Paul is writing to the church in Rome and shares the gospel simply: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 

This is our heart’s desire! To see people hear the gospel and respond by calling on the name of the Lord. But Paul goes on to say that there is an important process necessary to getting the word out… Just a few verses later in Romans 10:14-15 Paul says, 

14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

Someone needs to share the good news with the nations, but in order for them to do that, they need others that are called to send them. How can anyone preach unless they are sent?

In the Assemblies of God, our youth ministry has long supported missionaries throughout the world through what’s called “Speed the Light.” For decades, youth have raised money to allow missionaries to do exactly what Paul wrote about in Romans 10: be sent out to preach. 

Speed the Light is a program that helps cultivate a heart of missional generosity in the next generation, helping young people see all God is doing in the world and partnering with them. It’s our heart that our young people catch a heart for the mission of God and become a part of it from early in their walk with Jesus. 

Through the support of our youth, we equip missionaries with vehicles, sound systems, and other evangelistic materials so they can have those “beautiful feet” that spread the gospel to the world. 

Just this last year, our youth helped raise enough money to finish a project to send a vehicle to missionaries in Belgium who are planting churches there. During our trips to Guadalajara, Mexico, we’ve driven around with our missionaries in their Speed the Light vehicle. 

This year, our youth will be finding creative ways to support missionaries again. Through our Speed the Light showcase in May along with other church-wide events and encouraging our students to save money to support, our goal this year is to raise at least $14,000 to see the gospel spread. 

So let me encourage you: even if you can’t always go you can always send. Let’s be a part of seeing the good news of Jesus Christ go out to the world, so all may know.

Would you be willing to partner with our young people and walk alongside them as they grow in generosity? The reality is: the next generation always sees the generation ahead of them and often will imitate what they see. So what if we showed our next generation what generosity looks like by being sacrificial for the cause of Christ?