Andy Elmhorst
Nov 23rd, 2019I have been interested in the continent of Africa for quite some time. "The sleeping giant" as it has been called, is a continent of mystery and lush beauty. It is home to 1.2 billion humans and also home to some the fastest, largest, and most dangerous animals on the planet. It is a continent that has many countries bursting with economic expansion on a race to first world status, but also a realm of darkness, oppression, poverty, starvation, death, war, extreme violence and despair.
In February, 2020, I will be heading to Africa to participate in a mission trip to Cameroon with Jesus Film Mission Trips, a ministry of Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ International). I’m really excited about taking the gospel to the ends of the earth! Our time in country will be divided between two cities, Yaounde, which is the capital city located in central Cameroon and Kribi, a small seaside village. We will be doing evangelism and discipleship trainings, hosting an interactive film festival, and doing Jesus Film showings in rural villages.
I am looking for a small group of friends who are willing to commit to pray for the mission and all of the team members daily while on this trip. If you would like to commit to this effort, please contact me and let me know so that I can add your name to the prayer mailing list.
Update: All financial costs of my trip are covered. If, however, you would like to donate to Jesus Film, you can do so here.
If you have gotten this far and are wondering what this mission is and why I would waste my time to go to a third world country on a mission to spread the gospel, keep reading.
The word gospel comes originally from ancient Greek and Latin and it literally means good news. It describes the good news of how God so loved that world that He has made a way for us to be forgiven of all of our sins against God and brought back into a relationship with Him through faith in Jesus.
You may have heard the term "gospel truth". Here are the truths of the gospel. The good news can be represented in 6 truths, and these truths are core principles contained in God's word to us, the Bible.
Romans 1:20. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature— have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
There is one true God over us all. He created us all. He sustains us all. All people everywhere, all over this planet, have knowledge of God. No matter where they live, God has made Himself known clearly, in creation, and in our hearts, so that all are without excuse. No one can say, “You didn’t show Yourself.” He has shown Himself to all. God's hand is clearly evident in the wonder and majesty of the universe around us. Belief in God is not to disbelieve science. In fact it is quite the opposite. A belief in God opens doors to exploring the universe with wonder and awe of the creator who sustains every physical law which in turn enable us to take our next breath. It is a choice of man to reject the wonder and the majesty of a Creator God and exchange it for a man-made belief system. That leads us to truth #2.
Romans 1 states...21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.
This is the reality of sin in every person’s heart—in my heart, in your heart and in every person around the world. We have all turned against God, turned from His ways to our own ways, from His truth to our own thoughts and imaginations. For those of us growing up in modern day America, it means growing up in a culture that has turned it's back on God and invented an alternative philosophy devoid of God or at best, purposefully ignoring God as a being who is irrelevant to our existence. If we choose to reject God, we have followed the path of all men. This is not a position to hold to lightly, as it has eternal consequences.
From Romans 3... “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one...For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
There are guilty people all over the world. We are all guilty before our Creator and we know it. There is no one who can deny guilt.
Which leads to truth number four: all people stand condemned for rejecting God. It’s sobering, but Romans 6 tells us "the wages of sin is death."
2nd Thessalonians states it clearly: "This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might."
Not only are all people guilty before God, but there is no amount of good we can do to overcome our guilt. There is no eternal scale that can be tipped by living a good life. All people are condemned for rejecting God. We have all sinned against God—every single person reading this post and every single person in the world. Because of our rebellious state, we are all separated from God. If we die in this state of separation from God, we will spend eternity separated from God in judgment for our sin.
So far, the news I have been sharing has not been good. Here is where the good news, the gospel comes in. God has not given upon the human race. Much the opposite is true. His plans are great for us.
This gospel was part of God's plan from before time began. God has made a way. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
We don't have to earn our way to God. God has chosen to make a way for us all to be saved from our fallen state by pouring out the judgment due to me and you unto His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus took our place by living a life of perfect obedience to God, and took our sin upon himself, dying on the cross, making a way of salvation for the lost. Then He rose from the dead in victory over sin. Anyone anywhere who is reading these words right now has a path to God. God has made a way of salvation for all.
Ephesians 2:4-10 says "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
Acts 4 says "Jesus is the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved."
The way to God is faith in Jesus. There is no other way. The way is not me working my way toward God. The way is trusting in what God has done to make His way to me. This is the greatest news in all the world, and this Gospel has been spread and is continuing to be spread all over the world. It is the mission of all believers to share this good news, the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Romans 10:13 says: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Once we understand our need for a savior and recognize that Jesus Christ is that savior, we can respond by calling out to Jesus.
“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” (Romans 10:9-10)
Romans 5:1-2 explains that through faith in Jesus Christ, all can enjoy peace with God, no longer separated from a Holy God by sin. “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.” (Romans 5:1-2)
Romans 8:1 rejoices in the result of salvation. Before faith in Christ, all who have sinned were condemned by their sin and destined for death. But now with faith in Christ, “there is no condemnation” (Romans 8:1) and believers are gifted eternal life with God (Romans 6:23).
God will save us from all our sins and give us eternal life with Him if we will trust in His love for us.
If you have never done that, I ask you, I urge you to trust in Jesus today. Believe in Jesus and be saved.
If you would like more information about my trip or these truths, reach out to the contact information below.