Let’s Get Started!

This is the first in a 5-part series of articles which undergird all of the content we publish on hesed.com.

There are several reasons why you may have arrived at this website. You may have stumbled upon it in search results. You may have been told about it by a friend. You may be intrigued by the Hebrew word hesed. You may be looking for resources related to Christian missions.

Whatever the reason you came here, we’re glad that you have found us!

Since you arrived at this particular page, we assume that however you learned of hesed.com, you want to learn more about (or are at least intrigued by) Jesus’ purpose for the nations and how you can play a part in fulfilling that purpose. In the words of Ralph Winter, the late founder of the U.S. Center for World Mission, you have a desire to “be a part of something that began before you were born, and will continue onward toward the fulfillment of all that God has purposed to accomplish.”

We would be thrilled if you would join us in our passion, be persuaded by our conviction, and embrace our vision!

OUR PASSION
We are determined to give our lives daily to further God’s mission to reach the never reached.

We pray that our lives would fully embody the words of William Carey, “To belong to Jesus is to embrace the nations with Him.”

We echo the thoughts of John Stott, late Rector of All Souls Church in London, United Kingdom, when he said, “We must be global Christians with a global vision because our God is a global God.”

Will you join us in this passion?

OUR CONVICTION
Whether you go, pray, provide financial support, or lend logistical support, we are convinced that all believers in Jesus should be part of a team seeking to make Jesus known to those who have never heard His name.

We agree with James S. Stewart, Minister of the Church of Scotland when he writes, “The concern for world evangelization is not something tacked on to a man’s personal Christianity, which he may take or leave as he chooses. It is rooted in the character of the God who has come to us in Christ Jesus. Thus, it can never be the province of a few enthusiasts, a sideline or a specialty of those who happen to have a bent that way. It is the distinctive mark of being a Christian.”

Do you agree with this conviction?

We assume that there is a stirring in your soul, however gentle or strong it might be at the moment, to learn what it means to “embrace the nations with (Jesus).” To know how to be a “global Christian with a global vision.” To understand world evangelization and have your heart be seized by this “distinctive mark of being a Christian.”

It is our desire that through the content on this website, we could play a part in bringing that stirring in your soul into greater fruition.

OUR VISION

If you are a believer in Jesus, we desire to:

1. Help persuade and prepare you to be part of a contingent of Jesus followers seeking to take the message of Jesus’ love to a specific unreached people group … through our pillar articles (reached through the tabs at the top of the site if you are using a desktop or the three-bar/”hamburger” menu if you are using a mobile device) plus additional strategy-focused content
2. Help introduce you to such contingents or teams … through curated news stories
3. Help encourage you to immediately begin participation on such teams … through curated prayer and financial support requests
4. Help motivate you to consider physically joining such teams or providing them with remote logistical support … through curated requests for help
5. Help prepare you for more effective participation on such teams … through online training

Will you embrace this vision with us?

WHERE TO START

If you join us in our passion, are persuaded by our conviction, and would like to embrace our vision with us, we encourage you to start with the series of four introductory articles which represent the remaining four tabs in the masthead of this website:

Beyond Our Wildest Dreams: recalling the good news of God’s love for us.

We Swear Allegiance: the inevitable result of biblical faith is a life of discipleship.

Our Hearts Aflame: the normative response to Christ’s love is to persuade others to be reconciled to God.

Reshaping Our Wineskins: will we convey the message of God’s love accurately, passionately, and strategically and thus be found to be trustworthy stewards of the message of reconciliation?

The first three articles revolve around truths found in 2 Corinthians 5:14-21 while the last article finds its foundation in several additional passages of Scripture. These articles are meant to be be read in order and are designed to be digested before moving on to the rest of the website.

These introductory articles are not meant to be definitive, but instead should be understood as a starting point for ongoing discussion. As such, the articles may be rewritten over time as our thinking is refined by contributions from the community.

Let’s begin and learn how the love of God is beyond our wildest dreams!