In 1792, William Carey preached one of the most famous missionary sermons of all time: An Enquiry Into the Obligation of Christians to Use Means for the Conversion of the Heathens. As a text, he chose the words at the end of Matthew’s gospel (Matt. 28:18-20). This Great Commission, he contended, was an undeniable call for Christians to get off the sidelines and get involved in world missions.
He preached:
This commission was as extensive as possible, and laid them under obligation to disperse themselves into every country to the habitable globe, and preach to all the inhabitants … But the work has not been taken up or prosecuted of late years (except by a few individuals) … It is thus that multitudes sit at ease, and give themselves no concern about the far greater parts of their fellow sinners, who to this day are lost in ignorance and idolatry.1
He challenged the pastors in the room to rally their church members. The Great Commission had to be obeyed.
He continued:
We must not be contented, however, with praying, without exerting ourselves in the use of means for the obtaining of those things we pray for. Were the children of the light but as wise in their generation as the children of the world, they would stretch every nerve to gain so glorious a prize, nor ever imagine that it was to be obtained in any other way.2
In other words, Christians have an obligation to do something(!) so others can know about Jesus.
When the sermon ended, one older pastor rebuked William Carey. “Young man, sit down. When God pleases to convert the heathen, he will do it without your aid or mine.”3
Very few of us would be as brash as this older pastor and completely reject biblical teaching about missions and evangelism. At the same time, many of us are guilty of the same attitude. We allow so many things, some good and some not so good, to distract us from this task. We are quick to accept that evangelism is the responsibility of our pastors or church members with bubbly personalities or a seminary education. We are moved by stories or images of the lost around the world, but we don’t think we should consider a calling to the mission field.
We may be subtle or more refined, but we are still echoing the words of this older pastor, God can do it without my help. I hope this little article will challenge your thinking and spur you to ask yourself, What is my role in God’s mission?
First, you are a worshiper.
The opening line of John Piper’s book Let the Nations be Glad has set many hearts aflame for God’s mission. “Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man.”4
We participate in missions and evangelism because we are primarily worshipers of God. He is the most wonderful and amazing being in the universe. When we think about who He is and what He has done for us, we cannot help but tell others. At the same time, when we think about the countless millions who do not know Him, we know this is not OK. The God of the universe must be worshiped.
Second, you are an ambassador.
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.”
—2 Corinthians 5:20
If the ultimate purpose and goal of our salvation were eternity in heaven, God could have raptured us at the moment we first believed. That could have saved us many headaches, temptations, and pain. However, the flaw in that logic is that, if every Christian went directly to heaven, how would others know about Jesus?
Instead, we serve as God’s ambassadors. We represent Him and carry His message to the rest of the world. According to Daniel 7:14, Jesus is the eternal King. His kingdom has no end and includes people from “every people, language, and nation.” Our role is to expand this kingdom by telling the world Christ died for their sins, and He has made a way of reconciliation.
Third, you are a witness.
Just like the woman at the well (John 4), we met a Man who knew our sins and loved us anyway. Each of us has a testimony of God’s grace, a story of how God saved us from our sins or strengthened us in a time of need.
We are surrounded by people who wonder if God could forgive their sins. Like Adam and Eve in the garden, they know they have disobeyed God’s laws, and they are enduring the consequences of guilt and shame. Some try to hide these emotions with more sin, more religion, or some other pursuit. And yet, just like the leaves Adam and Eve used to cover themselves, all these efforts are temporary and hopeless.
Only Jesus is the answer to their deepest longings. You and I are the witnesses of what Christ can do because we know what He did for us. We are firsthand witnesses of His grace and of the hope He provides. By telling our own story, we can help others know God and experience His saving grace.
It is easy to believe we have no real role in the Great Commission. Others seem better equipped or better suited for the task. However, the Bible is clear that anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. But then the question: “How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about him?” (Rom. 10:9a)
They cannot hear about Him unless you and I tell them.
Parts of this article were adapted from A Short Guide to Evangelism and Missions by D. Scott Hildreth, B&H Publishing, 2025.
Works Cited
1. William Carey, “An Enquiry into the Obligations of Christians to Use Means for the Conversion of the Heathen” (Chapel Library, 2022, originally published 1792), 5, https://www.chapellibrary.org/pdf/books/enqu.pdf?srsltid=AfmBOooDt4CLnMo4_kytEdJbQzEj_2IOP5akbfihsV4Bt-RmX-cM1r6F.
2. Carey, 29.
3. “William Carey: Expect Great Things from God, and Attempt Great Things from God” (Logos), https://sermons.logos.com/sermons/1472162-william-carey:-expect-great-things-from-god-and-attempt-great-things-from-god.
4. John Piper, Let the Nations Be Glad: The Supremacy of God in Missions (Baker Academics, 2022), 3.
About D. Scott Hildreth
Scott Hildreth is the associate professor of missiology and associate dean of the ministry preparation area at Southeastern Seminary. Before coming to Southeastern, he and his family served in Western Europe and in Central Asia. Scott has been in some type of Christian ministry for over thirty years and has helped people from all around the world know the hope and joy that can be found in a relationship with Jesus. Scott is married to Lesley and together they have two adult children and two grandsons and one granddaughter. He frequently speaks and writes on issues of missions, spiritual formation, missiology, and theology.
