Missionaries Go Where People Need Jesus
“And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,
(The Letter of Paul to the Ephesians 2: 1-2 NASB)
in which you formerly walked
according to the course of this world,
according to the price of the power of the air,
of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.”
Once you were—Lost.
- Because of disobedience.
- Because of the many unconfessed sins.
- Because you appeared as the world.
- Because you obeyed the devil, the leader of the power of the unseen world.
- Because you refused God’s gift of salvation.
- Because you refused to obey God.
Lost. Not Saved. An Unbeliever.
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked;
(The Letter of Paul to the Galatians 6: 7-10 NASB)
for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.
For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption,
but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.
So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people,
and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.”
As the first bi term ended, one of my students prepared to leave, to go on a mission trip. While not her first missionary journey (she said), still this one was different because when she left on Sunday, she would be crossing into a new territory, one filled with tens of thousands of people from another culture. Fearful but still faithful, this is what I most noticed about my young student, the young missionary.
Last night, as I sat in the Women on Mission meeting, a statistic jumped off the page and into my heart. Currently, studies show, America has become a diverse nation, one where missionaries come from other countries to witness to those who now call America home. Maybe reread that sentence again to really understand the implication of what was just written.
- We, a country of Americans, have become a territory filled with immigrants.
- We, a country founded by immigrants seeking religious freedom from a tyrant king, have become a territory of American—immigrants.
Currently, there are over 281 million lost (unbelievers) living within the borders of the United States.
Truly, we can be a missionary to an unbeliever: living across the street, across the nation, and across the cafe table. Furthermore, if we look closely, we may even see that the person living near us just might not be a person who was born in this country.
Yesterday, my student left from her southeastern USA small-town to travel to the border in order to serve God. She felt called. She became equipped. She prayed, and we prayed before she left. Now, as she has left, we continue to pray for this young missionary—as she goes.
Don’t we just love how the LORD operates!
God is very willing to spend time with us. We need His daily presence.
- Missionaries go where people need Jesus! The journey to and from is part of the mission. We know this to be true because—WE NEVER KNOW WHAT GOD HAS PLANNED!
- We also know this to be true because—WE HAVE ALL SINNED AND CHOSEN TO LIVE APART FROM GOD, TO RULE OUR OWN LIVES.
Do not deny it.
Embrace it.
This is who we are—all of us—Sinners who desperately need God’s Grace!
“If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.”
(The First Letter of John 1: 8-10 & 2: 1-2 NASB)
[HOWEVER]
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
[GOD IS ABLE! GOD IS FAITHFUL! GOD IS RIGHTEOUS! GOD CAN SAVE US ALL!]
“If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.”
[MAY WE NOT LIE TO GOD, NOR MAY WE LIE TO OURSELVES.]
“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.
And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;
and He Himself is the propitiation [the sacrificial substitution]
for our sins;
and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.”
We do not just need Jesus to go to heaven;
We need Jesus for everyday life, for every second of every single day we breathe.
Why?
It is because we are—sinners in need of a Savior!
It is because—God reveals to us ‘what we can become’ by His Grace—“And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, . . . “
- We are not sinners because we sin;
- We sin because we are sinners!
- It is our nature as human beings.
- We are not products of our environments;
- We are products of our nature!
BUT GOD MADE THE WAY TO BE SAVED—
Today, may we linger within God’s presence.
- May we read and mediate upon His Holy Word.
- May we think upon the LOVE GOD BESTOWS TO US.
- May we see His Only Son there upon the cross—dying for our sins, paying the price we could never pay!
- May we see His Only Son placed into the tomb—showing the whole world He truly did die!
- May we see His Only Son—raising to new life on the third day so we too may receive eternal life through—JESUS!
Be strong & Be courageous. Be mission-minded whether we: fly on a plane to serve, walk across the street to visit, or sit across the table to talk with someone who does not know the saving Grace of Jesus—
Missionaries Go Where People Need Jesus!