Can you see

"The Smoke Of A Thousand Villages?"

I was doing some research on missions in preparation for an upcoming Faith Promise Missions Conference and ran across the following illustration. Although I'm sure that it has been used a thousand times, it struck a chord in my heart, and I decided to use it as the title for this tract on Faith Promise Missions.

"Robert Moffatt, a missionary on furlough in England, was telling about the dark continent of Africa. In the audience that day was a young Scot named David Livingstone. He was studying to be a doctor and had decided to give his life to the service of God, but where and how he was not sure. As he listened to Dr. Moffatt's story, he heard the missionary say, ' There is a vast plain to the north where I have sometimes seen, in the morning sun, the smoke of a thousand villages where no missionary has ever been.' Livingstone never forgot those words-'the smoke of a thousand villages.' Afterwards he went to Dr. Moffatt and asked, "Would I do for Africa?" That moment constituted David Livingstone's great decision. It was not only the nature of the gospel but also the need for the gospel which won his heart and life."

What impelled David Livingstone to spend the rest of his earthly life in Africa? He saw the great need of those who had never heard the Gospel. Yes, the "nature of the Gospel" and "the need for the Gospel" impelled him to give his life that others might be saved. Today, the name of Livingstone still lives in the hearts and minds of the saved because he was willing to do what he could to reach the lost of Africa.

I am convinced, after being saved for over 36 years, that nothing is dearer to the heart of our LORD than getting the Gospel out to a lost and dying world.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Yet, in spite of the love that Jesus has for reaching the lost, there are still Christians who feel that it is more important to build their own houses than to reach the unreached. I am reminded of what the Lord said in

Haggai 1:5-7 Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. Thus saith the LORD of hosts;

Consider your ways.
Now I know that the Lord in this Scripture was rebuking Israel for their laziness in the rebuilding of Jerusalem, but the underlying principle is that they were more interested in their own lives than doing what the Lord wanted them to do. That same problem afflicts God's people today. There are over 6.3 billion people living in our world today, and most of them are without the Gospel and therefore without any hope of salvation. All that lies ahead for them is an eternity of misery and agony. However, Livingstone understood the Scripture where in John 4:35 Jesus said to His disciples,

"Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest."

What are you doing to reach the untold billions of people in our world who are without the life giving Gospel of Jesus Christ? No one can be saved without the word of God.

Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Ephesians 3:6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:

It is abundantly clear from the Scriptures such as those just mentioned that the only way a person can be saved and go to heaven when they die is to receive the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. God could reach down and scatter tracts with his word in them over the entire world, and He could ensure that everyone in the world reads those tracts, but He has not chosen to preach the Gospel in that manner. He has chosen us, we who name the name of Jesus, we who have been saved, to spread the truth of His word to every creature. Not to long ago our Pastor preached a good message from Acts 13 in which he reiterated that every Christian must be either a 'sender', one who helps others to go, or a 'sendee', one who goes personally with the Gospel to those who need to hear. Surely Christians cannot be so heartless as to ignore what our Saviour said in the following Scriptures.

Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. Luke 24:47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
John 20:21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
Acts 1:8 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.

The just listed Scriptures constitute what we preachers call "The Great Commission." After reading this far in this little tract surely you must see that God desires that man hear the truth of His word and then trust Jesus as Saviour. Now, we need to ask this question, "What are you doing to reach the lost?" You say, "Preacher, how can I reach the world with the Gospel? I'm only one person." Livingstone was only one person, but his decision to do what he could literally changed the lives of thousands of Africans. God has given us the way that we can reach the billions with the word of Life. It is through His Church! It is through the combined efforts of His Church, the fellowship of believers, that we can reach the vast billions with the Gospel. However, it requires a dedicated effort and obedience to the Scriptures.

1 Corinthians 8:1-7 Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves; Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God. Insomuch that we desired Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also finish in you the same grace also. Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.

Many lessons can be gleaned from this familiar passage on giving, but I would like to call your attention to one - just as God wants us to abound in the wonderful 'graces' of 'God, faith, utterance, and knowledge', He wants us to 'abound in this grace also' - the 'grace' of giving. This is much more than tithes and offerings. It is giving that is directed by the Holy Spirit of God Himself working through your life. It is God directing you to give by His Holy Spirit Who lives in you.

I believe that getting involved in Faith Promise Giving through your local church is one of the great ways to get the Gospel out and to be obedient to the 'go' in the gospel.

Faith Promise giving is nothing more than praying about what God would have you to do through your local church's yearly mission's outreach and obeying God when He tells what you should do. Will you be a "sender or a sendee?"