WHY DO WE DO MISSIONS?
“And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20
“But you will receive power when the Holy has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8
Local Mission
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The mission of God’s church is to be a way of life, not merely a schedule of programs to keep us busy. Because of that, at Shop Springs, we encourage every church member to recognize the mission field God has given them right where they are. We all know family members, friends, coworkers, neighbors and school mates who are far from God. We believe God has providentially placed these people within our “mission fields” so that we can reach them with the gospel.
The greatest tool we have while on our mission fields is God’s Word. We are called by Scripture to share the Good News with those around us, but if you don’t know how to share the gospel with an unbeliever, talk with our pastor and he will help you. You can also check out this short video for one of the best and easiest tools you can use to share the gospel with an unbeliever: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7mURm-8cOI.
Here is a video that we think helps capture the concept of what it means to be on mission for God as we strive to be disciple makers in our mission fields each day:
National Mission
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NAMB
Through our faithful giving of tithes and offerings each week, we are able to partner with the North American Mission Board (NAMB https://www.namb.net/) to be a part of church planting in “Send Cities” all over North America that have very little to no gospel witness. As we give, we truth that God will call many from His churches across North America to rise up and be sent to help plant churches in cities that desperately need them.
Disaster Relief
Through our faithful giving of tithes and offerings each week, we are able to be a part of the Disaster Relief (http://tndisasterrelief.org) ministry thru the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board (TBMB http://www.tnbaptist.org) which partners with the North American Mission Board (NAMB), FEMA, the Department of Homeland Security, and other national volunteer organizations. Through these partnerships early responders are able to help after destructive storms have occurred and help provide hot meals, shower trailers, child care, laundry services, structural repair, and a gospel witness in times of crisis.
Global Mission
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Of the 7 billion people in the world today, only 1 billion are Christian (according to the most generous estimates). That means that 6 billion people who inhabit our planet are lost in darkness and sin. Of these 6 billion who are lost, over 3.5 billion have never heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. There are 16,699 people groups in the world, and 6,900 of them are considered unreached. We believe that Jesus deserves to receive worship from every one of these people from every tribe, tongue, and nation, and we believe that this will be accomplished as our church fulfills the Great Commission of making disciples of all nations (see Matthew 28:18-20).
Scriptural Call to Global Mission
Genesis 12:1-3
“ßNow the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Matthew 28:19-20
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
Acts 1:8
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
