Go Ye Into All The World

Recently I ran across some internet comments criticizing churches such as ours that send out missionaries. While I understand their hesitance to talk with missionaries who come to their door, I think that it would be helpful for them to understand why we proselyte.

When Jesus Christ was on the Earth, several times He commanded the apostles to go out and teach the Gospel

"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 16:15

"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:" Matt. 28:19

"After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come." Luke 10:1

"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. " Matt. 24:14

Some people think that our goal is to get "numbers". If we were after numbers, we would need to cave in to public opinion and ease up on the commandments and doctrine. I served as a missionary when I was single. I can tell you that the desire of my heart, and the desire of every other missionary I worked with was to help people come unto Christ. We looked at the things that we believed and wanted more than anything else to help other people come to a similar understanding. Our own testimonies that burned in our hearts led us to want to share the gospel with others. What we were taught as missionaries was that we were ambassadors for the Lord, and that we should always act consistent with that calling. If someone did not want to discuss with us, we would thank them for their time, and continue on to find someone who might be interested in hearing what we had to say. If the missionaries ever knock on your door, I invite you to listen with an open mind to what they have to say, and pray to God for guidance to know if what they teach is true.