Missionary Service
Missionary Service. Are we all to leave our present jobs and head to the mission field? For some, yes! For most of us, however, we are already living in the mission field that God has given to us.
18 And Jesus came and spoke to
them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on
earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20
teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I
am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Matthew 28:18-20, NKJV
Missionary Service
It is now late October; as I look out my window I see leaves in all kinds of shades of color from green to rust, to red, to gold. Living in the Midwest of the United States one does not have to look very far to see the farmers out in the fields hurrying to get in their crops. It always reminds me of the many passages of Scripture regarding the Harvest. I thought it would be appropriate, therefore, to do a series of devotions on the subject of Missions.
Matthew
28:18-20, often known as the Great Commission, is the first verse we
tend to think of when we are discussing the subject of Missions. The
words spoken by Christ shown above, are the last words spoken to His
faithful disciples before His ascension into Heaven, as recorded in the
book of Matthew.
Were these
words only for the disciples? Do they have any implications for our
Christian lives today? The answer is found in the last phrase, even to the end of the age.
We certainly have not yet reached the end of the age, and the disciples
have died almost 2 centuries ago, so it is safe to say that yes, they
apply to us just as much as they applied to the disciples.
What,
then, are we to do? Are we all to leave our present jobs and go into full-time missionary service? For some, yes! For most of us, however, we are
already living in the mission field that God has given to us. You see,
no Christian is exempt from the Great Commission. In fact, the Great
Commission is to be our primary goal: the first priority in our lives as
believers.
I pray that, as
we cover this broad topic of missions, our understanding of its
application to our own lives would be deepened. I desire this for my
life as well as for yours. May God bless this study for His glory as we
learn to be more effective servants of Christ by applying the Great
Commission to our own circumstances of life.
Go, then, in the power of Christ!
Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
More Devotions on the Topic of Missions
Mission of Christ, Matthew 5:17-20
Came to Send Fire, Luke 12:49-53
Our True Purpose, John 12:23-33
Hope for the Hopeless, 1 Timothy 1:12-17
Devotional Reflections Home Page
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