Outreach Ministry

The body of Christ is not local, not national; it is international. The Great Commission is to preach the Gospel to every creature . . . in every nation. One of the signs that must come to pass is that this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world, for a witness to all nations, before the end of Gentile times. See Matthew 24:14.

Our local assembly is committed to proclaiming the truth and building the body of Christ worldwide. Nearly 25% of our annual expenses are for outreach efforts beyond our local church. Over the years, we have spent millions of dollars on travel, printing, mailing, duplicating and broadcasting. We believe it is part of what we are to do. Freely we received; freely we will give.

We have sent ministers out to pastor churches overseas. The pastors of our church have logged many miles in nearly 50 years. Untold thousands of tapes, CDs, DVDs, letters, emails, and phone calls have been used to build up the work of the Lord.

My mentor, Bro. Lloyd Goodwin, taught that a grain of corn, planted anywhere in the world, will grow corn. He said that the message and order of the body of Christ, planted anywhere, will grow the body of Christ. We have not tried to build an African body in that continent, an Indian body there, and other national groups with their own culture, their own order, their own songs, etc. There is only one body. The order, the spirit, the messages, the songs, and the worship in every church should be very similar to that found in every other church – anywhere in the world.

Today, we see some of the results of years of effort. The message and order of the body has taken hold in other countries. Some of their ministers now are coming to the decadent West, to preach and establish the work here in America and Europe. The gospel does not just flow from one place, but there is to be a seamless network of ministers and saints, interacting on a global basis, for the greater glory of God.

This issue of The Gospel of Peace contains some excerpts of messages preached in an international convention in Mbale, Uganda. There are photographs of that trip, as well as a subsequent trip into India, and the nations of Botswana and South Africa. Perhaps it will be helpful for us to understand that the Lord has opened many doors and we cannot refuse to reach out to those who are hungry for the true way.

It is not just our church. Many brothers in the healing body of Christ are seeing the Lord open opportunities for them to reach out in South America, Asia, Africa, and countries other than the USA. I believe this is the will of God.

We have so much to do locally. The local church needs to be nurtured, fed, and blessed. There are many in our communities we have not reached with the gospel. The restoration of the order and message of the early church must continue. Our congregations need to be encouraged to continue to overcome sin. But in our local efforts, we should not forget to reach out beyond our borders, and walk through every door the Lord opens.

One of the end-time prophecies in the Bible says: “But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” Daniel 12:4. It can be interpreted several ways, but I believe many in the body of Christ will travel back and forth – not in just one country; but globally. Truth will be spread to every nation. It isn’t just pastors, but many saints will be a part of this networking. Save some money for international travel – the rewards outweigh the cost.

If you cannot go overseas for the Lord, you can give financial support to those who do. You can certainly pray. Many brothers and sisters in third-world countries are in desperate straits; living in hunger and poverty, and in fear of disease, crime, and political unrest. Some are in danger just because of their faith. They, too, are part of us. We should feel their need, and spend serious time in prayer for them.