Two years ago this month, Isaac and Faith Madsen, along with their children, arrived in Lusaka, Zambia, as missionaries sent by King’s Cross Church. To mark this anniversary, this morning I would like us to consider why we send missionaries.
As our nation faces a growing need for the gospel alongside a movement of political nationalism that rightly urges us to prioritize our own people, some in the broader church have begun to question whether we should really be sending missionaries abroad when our own country is in need. This is actually a timeless question, and one that has been answered through the years by great men like William Carey, R.L. Dabney, John G. Paton, and Jim Elliot.
The short answer is this: Jesus has purchased with His precious blood a Bride for Himself from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation (Rev. 5:9). And He is therefore worthy to be worshiped and magnified by all nations, not just our own.
After our Lord suffered and died, He rose again to tell His disciples exactly what it meant and what to do next. He had received all authority in heaven and on earth, and His command was and still is to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Triune Name and teaching them to obey all that He has commanded (Mt. 28:18–20).
Therefore, it pleases God to stir up the hearts of some to go. To cross borders and cultures, to leave the comforts of home and bring their God-given gifts, and most importantly, the gospel, to a people in need, that the cause of Christ would be advanced through their labor and suffering. And then God calls the church back home—He calls us—to raise up, equip, send, and support those with this good desire, recognizing that doing so does not conflict with reaching our own people as well (3 Jn. 5–8). In fact, it is good for the church in America to send and support missionaries, as it is an act of obedience to Christ’s command and therefore a sign of spiritual health.
And so the exhortation this morning is that as we long and pray for God’s name to be great among all nations, we must continue to be a church that gladly raises up and supports missionaries toward that glorious end. We must be a church with a missionary spirit, willing to endure all things for the sake of the elect, both here in Moscow and abroad (2 Tim. 2:10).
This exhortation was given on September 28, AD 2025, at King’s Cross Church in Moscow, Idaho.