Open one’s eyes, love God and neighbors, and accept God’s call to spread the gospel among the nations preached Jerry Rankin, president emeritus of the International Mission Board, during his Sept. 7 chapel message at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Texas Baptist College.
In his introduction of Rankin, SWBTS President David S. Dockery expressed delight to have the alumnus back to preach on campus. Rankin suffered a minor stroke in July but was able to keep his scheduled visit.
“He crisscrossed the globe many times taking the gospel, encouraging missionaries, helping those who were planting churches and bringing back a good word for all of us so we could pray faithfully for those who were serving around the world,” Dockery said.
Rankin’s chapel sermon was part of Global Missions Week, which has included welcoming IMB missionaries from all eight affinity groups across the world to engage the campus community with the need to take the gospel to the nations.
Rankin preached from 1 John 3:16–18 and linked those passages of Scripture with the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.
Rankin mentioned that students often inform him that they want to serve on missions but do not believe they have received the call from God to do so.
“It was a mission that was born in the heart of God before the foundation of the world,” Rankin said. “It’s not a matter of understanding our mission or even the urgency of the mission, but it’s the motivation for going and being part of fulfilling that mission.”
Rankin drew from John 4 and the story of the woman at the well.
“Jesus commanded them to ‘look,’” Rankin explained. “To open their eyes, to see the people around them, to see the world as God sees them. To see the lostness because they would never be motivated to go or do anything about it until they saw the fields, the needs, the lostness of people without Jesus Christ.”
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Rankin’s entire message can be viewed here.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Jeremy Thomas and originally published by Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. The Baptist Paper contributed to this story.
