{"id":2639,"date":"2022-08-10T10:30:18","date_gmt":"2022-08-10T14:30:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.cedarville.edu\/studentlife\/?p=2639"},"modified":"2022-09-02T09:10:09","modified_gmt":"2022-09-02T13:10:09","slug":"bringing-the-gospel-to-the-ends-of-the-earth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cedarville.edu\/studentlife\/2022\/08\/10\/bringing-the-gospel-to-the-ends-of-the-earth\/","title":{"rendered":"Bringing the Gospel to the Ends of the Earth"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Over the past two months, a group of nine Cedarville students teamed up with other students all across America to plant seeds of Gospel truth in an area where the vast majority of people have never before heard the good news.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In an effort to come alongside and help the long-term workers who have been plowing the soil for the past 15+ years, the students who come are able to develop genuine friendships with locals, sow seeds of truth with their friends, and are even able at times to read the Bible with them if their friend shows interest in learning more.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This system strategically allows the reach of the long-term team to be expanded significantly, and when we leave for the summer, those there long-term can follow up with the people who were interested in learning or reading more.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

During the six weeks we were there this summer, 133 people got to hear the good news!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Major Themes of This Summer<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A major theme for many of our team members, myself included, was worshipful obedience. It\u2019s a great joy and privilege to share the gospel with someone who\u2019s not ever before heard the good news. But too often, my motivation behind this work can become skewed. I grow to love the person with whom I\u2019m sharing that I often begin to share out of a love for them or because I don\u2019t want them to be eternally separated from God. Other times, I see sharing as an obligation because I know it\u2019s what I should do. While these motivations in and of themselves are not necessarily wrong, they should never replace my first motivation \u2014 worship.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When my greatest joy is to worship the One who created me to dwell with Him forever and the One who made that possible for me through the saving work of Christ and the sanctifying work of the Spirit, this should cause me to worship. And what a joy it really is to share this good news with others when my perspective is right and when all I want is to pour out worship to the One who is worthy.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A second major theme throughout this summer was the importance of and beauty in biblical community. It\u2019s an undeserved gift of God\u2019s grace that He\u2019s brought us into union with Himself through Christ, and yet He is gracious still in giving us the undeserved gift of community within the body.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This summer, many people were able to hear the Gospel for the first time. Several locals were interested in learning\/reading more, and this was something about which we were able to rejoice. We were all there for a common purpose \u2014 to worship God and be obedient to His command of making disciples of all nations \u2014 so this allowed us to celebrate with one another when someone was interested to hear, learn, or read more!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While many were interested in learning more, several people who heard the good news were not interested at all. For you to pray for and have others praying for opportunities for you to share the good news, for you to boldly proclaim it to a friend about whom you care so deeply, and then for your friend to reject completely the only news that\u2019s able to bring them back into a right relationship with God\u2014this is hard.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But because of the Lord\u2019s kindness, we have other brothers and sisters in Christ who are able to grieve that rejection with us, and that community was needed this summer. We were able to grieve together, pray together, encourage one another, and be reminded that we aren\u2019t the One who is able to bring about life from death \u2014 but He can!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ultimately, this trip encouraged me even more to keep my eyes fixed upon the day about which John writes in Revelation 7:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n