Record Setting Lottie Moon Offering - What About You?

The Lottie Moon Offering is the annual SBC Christmas offering used for international missions. In the 118 year history of the offering, this year marks the largest collection ever received at over 150 million dollars. With more than 5,100 missionaries around the world, this kind of offering will have a great impact on not only the ability to sustain our current missionaries, but also provide the means to send more into the field. That means more people coming into contact with the message of Jesus Christ. This is great news.

There is greater news still. According to Thom Rainer, over 17 million people will accept Christ if presented with the Gospel. In his book "The Unchurched Next Door," Rainer develops a type of ranking scale for unbelievers. A "U1" is someone who is very close to following Christ, while a "U5" is completely repulsed by anything spiritual. Rainer develops a theme of "walking across the room" where statistically speaking, the odds are very good that a "U1" is standing nearby, simply waiting to hear the good news they need. While the local SBC member should give a hearty "amen" to the report of the Lottie Moon Offering, our hands are far from being washed of evangelical responsibility. I point the finger at myself. How many restaurant servers, family members, church visitors, and apartment managers have I been in repeated contact with and failed to mention Christ? I serve at a church that is highly motivated to give during the Lottie Moon Offering, the amounts are incredible, but what is the motivation for our motivation? For a higher number than last year or for people to know Christ? If it is indeed the latter, is there a parallel passion for the local "unchurched next door?"

I applaud the SBC for our giving. Will we give and pour not only our wallets into offerings but also our lives into people? The two could be certainly be a powerful combination.