“Pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers”
-Matt. 9:38
Have you noticed that there is a lack of clarity with things these days? Why do I have to pay a service fee,
delivery fee, and then leave a tip? Is eating eggs good or bad for me? Who came first: Travis Kelce or Taylor Swift? But one thing about which there should be no lack of clarity is our mission in life. We all have one mission: the Great Commission.
The truth is that the American religious landscape is changing away from Christianity. I’m sure this is not a surprise to you. We see it everywhere. I did want to spotlight some particularly alarming trends, however. For example, if you were born after 1984, there is a less than 10% chance you are in church today. Those born in every preceding decade were more likely to be in church. But clearly, the younger generations are out.
Another one: If the unchurched in America were their own nation, they would be the 8th largest nation in the world. That’s staggering when you consider how vast the need is around us. And finally, bear in mind this study was done ten years ago, 20% of non-Christians in America personally do not know any Christians.
The need is overwhelming, right? But the mission is overwhelmingly clear. What will we do about it? One thing we can do right now is pray and give. We can pray that God would send laborers to reach the lost (Matt. 9:38). And we can give to support those who are laboring now. This is why the Southern Baptists hold the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering. It specifically supports North American Missions. Another option is for you to go. Maybe God wants you to be part of the answer in a more tangible way. God may be leading us in different ways, but we can have clarity that we all must do our part.