Then God said, “Let us make humanity in our image to resemble us so that they may take charge of the fish of the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and all the crawling things on earth.” Genesis 1:26
Let’s start at the very beginning: God created humanity and purposefully created us as his image-bearers. The ramifications of this choice echo throughout history and serve as our earliest ‘why’ for missions. Why send missionaries, why plant churches, why send money, why pray for foreign tribes, why care about someone half a world away? Why?- because God created humanity as his image-bearers.
The intrinsic value of each human life is our why. What then does this compel us to do? Well, our charge to join Jesus in bringing his kingdom to all nations ties right back to that identity. As his image bearers, we bear his witness so that all may know and recognize their true identity. We do that through care for the whole person- for their physical, mental, emotional, economic, and spiritual needs. Because God created us image-bearers as complex creatures. Humanity alone reserves the privilege to relate to God, worship God, walk and talk with God, and enjoy God.
As this is true of you and me at Emmanuel Faith, this is true of every person of every culture, language, ethnicity, and background. So as one image-bearer to another, let’s encourage each other to look beyond our church buildings, our neighborhoods, and even our nation. Let’s ask God to give us greater compassion for those who are far from us, but are still made in his image. May he open our eyes to opportunities to serve them.
-The Outreach Team