Jesus Christ is Lord of the universe. Therefore, all the nations — the peoples — of the earth belong to him by right of creation and by right of his redemptive purpose on the cross.

By right of creation: “The earth is the Lord’s . . . the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it” (Psalm 24:1–2).

By right of redemptive purpose on the cross: “You were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9).

He created the peoples and he bought them. Therefore he will have them.

Because he made them: “All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you” (Psalm 86:9).

Because he bought them: “The ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing” (Isaiah 35:10).

Therefore the means he has appointed to bring them to himself will succeed. In the end, Christian world missions cannot fail. He is not the King of kings and the Lord of lords merely in name. He really rules the nations. Therefore,

“All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations” (Psalm 22:27–28).

There will be those who finally reject the sacrificed life and supreme lordship of Jesus Christ. They will be cast into outer darkness (Matthew 8:12; 22:13; 25:30). But the peoples from which they fall will be redeemed. God will have every nation, every people group, every tribe, every language — purged of all unbelief and treason.

The Cross conference this December is laying hold of this promise and calling thousands of students to make it the passion of their lives.

The saving Lordship of Jesus Christ over all the peoples of the world.

The gospel of Jesus Christ as the one message authorized by God to save the nations from eternal destruction.

There is no greater vision, no greater calling.

For your encouragement and inspiration consider this:

When the Cross conference on world missions takes place this December 27–30, it will mark 100 years since the Seventh International Convention of the Student Volunteer Movement for Foreign Missions in Kansas City (Dec. 31, 1913 to Jan. 4, 1914). This convention stands out with inspiring power because the entire 743 pages of reports and messages have been recently reprinted for the incredibly low price at Amazon of $14.14.

The Student Volunteer Movement, with its first convention in 1891, was given inspiring leadership by John R. Mott who stated their purpose like this:

The distinctive purpose of the Student Volunteer Movement is to secure student volunteers who will actually go forth from the United States and Canada and spend their lives in non-Christian lands in the work of establishing Christ’s kingdom.

By the time of this seventh convention, 5,882 students had sailed from American shores as Student Volunteers. Vastly more students who had not sensed this call took up the ropes at home and became World Christians. This too was part of the SVM goal:

[Our second purpose is] to lead the students whom God does not call to become missionaries to make their lives count most as clergymen and laymen in developing in North America a strong home base for worldwide missions and in backing up that enterprise in all ways within their power.

I am praying for something breathtaking in our day among students and other young adults (and “finishers” like me) that will strike a blow against the darkness and rock the devil back on his heels with the force of its commitment to make Christ known among the unreached peoples of the world. I invite you to read of God’s mighty works in the past and join me in praying for vastly more in our day.