A Word About Missions
Back in March of 1984 I was ministering in the Philippine Islands. We were island hopping from island to island preaching prophecy conferences in various churches along with my dad, J.O. Grooms and Lewis “Buck” Ferrell. One evening we were taken to a Filipino led missions conference. We weren’t there to speak, just to listen.
I remember one Filipino evangelist in particular because of what he said. And what he said disturbed and irritated me at the same time. He said the thrust of world missions had traveled around the world beginning at Jerusalem moving westward through the centuries until reaching the shores of Americas, where for over a century America was the sending agents of missionaries around the world. But now America has lost its vision for missions as a base of launching missionaries and it is coming to the Philippines Island, which will be the next launching pad.
First of all, I was offended. “Nobody can do anything better than Americans,” I thought. “And besides, you don’t have the resources to be the launching pad for anything, much less world evangelism.” But I NEVER forgot those words. They stung my ears and pricked my heart. I was challenged! I needed to do more.
Fast-forward 34 years to 2018, and that man’s vision has become reality through the ministry of Greg Lyons, Global Surge and The Rawlings Foundation. Today, because of their efforts, missionaries from the Philippines are flooding into all of Southeast Asia with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and even into Africa and many other nations around the globe. In fact, they are going where Americans aren’t even allowed to go.
I’m so glad we get to be a part of something larger than just Thomas Terrace Baptist Church and Central Virginia. Through our missions giving and prayers we’re apart of a worldwide effort to advance the gospel into places we don’t even realize exists. Isn’t that awesome? To God be the glory!
