Missions – Love that Moves

Missions—Love That Moves

By Steve Clark

October 1, 2026

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son….

Missions begins with love.

Before there was a missionary, a mission board, a church program, or a trip across the ocean, there was a God who loved the world. His love was not merely spoken—it moved Him to action. He gave His Son so that sinners could be saved.

When we truly understand the love of God, it changes the way we see people.

Jesus said in Matthew 9:36, “But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them.” Jesus looked beyond their appearance, their nationality, their circumstances, and their failures. He saw souls that needed a Saviour.

That is where missions must begin—not with a calendar or a fundraising goal, but with a heart that has been touched by the love of Christ. Paul said, “The love of Christ constraineth us” (2 Corinthians 5:14). God’s love puts something inside us that makes it difficult to sit still when we know people need to hear the Gospel.

Missions may mean going across the world, but it may also mean crossing the street. It may mean supporting a missionary, giving toward a mission project, encouraging someone who has answered God’s call, or simply telling your neighbor about Jesus.

We cannot reach everyone, but we can reach someone.

The question is not whether there are people who need Christ. There are. The question is whether we have allowed God’s love for them to move us. Jesus gave Himself for the whole world. If we love Him, we should care about the world He came to save.

Love produces a burden. A burden produces action. And action carries the Gospel to those who need to hear it.

Reflection—Missions begins when we stop merely seeing people and start seeing souls.