Lord take me back, back to the beginning, when I was young, running through the fields with you…
“I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.” (Romans 9:1-5)
I read Paul’s lament and heart breaking for his fellow Israelites who do not believe in Jesus as their Lord and have not received the salvation of His grace. Paul says he has, “great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart” (v.2) over his friends, neighbors, and the people in his community both that he knows personally and does not know who have not heard the Gospel, do not love Jesus, and will enter into an eternity absent from Christ. His heart breaking for, and love of the lost is what drives his ministry, orders his day, and is the motivation for his mission journeys to the Gentiles, the people who do not know Jesus. He is a missionary, and the definition I use for a missionary is a “A person who is willing to sacrifice everything except the Gospel, for the sake of the Gospel.”
When you and I accepted the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross and entered into salvation through and in His death and resurrection, we also were made missionaries. You and I were called to be a person who is willing to sacrifice everything except the Gospel for the sake of the Gospel. The word “missionary” is not even in the Bible. That is because all the authors who wrote all the books and letter contained in the New Testament assumed and intended “missionary” and “disciple” to be one and the same. Jesus said, “Just as you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world.” (John 17:18). Christians are to be “sent ones” and “church” was designed to be a movement, not a location.
To claim you are a Christian is to claim you are a missionary. So when was the last time you grieved over your friends and co-workers that do not know Jesus? Can you remember the last time your heart ached over those in your community, those you know and those you do not know who are absent from Christ? Can you think of the last time you woke up with your heart breaking for the lost, planned your day and walked out of your door with reaching the lost with the Gospel as your main agenda for that day? You calendar for July is filled with reminders of important meetings, appointments and events for the month. How many days of the month do you have”share the Gospel” as the main event for that day? When was the last time you lived into your call to be a person who is willing to sacrifice everything except the Gospel for the sake of the Gospel? This is what we are called to do! This is what we were saved for! This is at the heart of calling ourselves a Christian. This is why Jesus birthed The Church.
Lord have mercy, Christ hove mercy, Lord have mercy.
We are challenged with re-launching our ministries and the ministries of our churches into being relevant outposts of the Kingdom of God in our communities.. We are called to drawing people back into the church, not so we can count them in our pewes, but so we can disciple them and send them back out as disciples, missionaries into thier communities, places of work, and schools. We will not succeed in this challenge unless we are prepared ourselves to recommit our purpose as Christians and conform our lives to imitate The Greatest Missionary, Jesus the Christ.
My family, I pray you will pray and ask the Holy Spirit to instill in you a heart that grieves and breaks for the lost, which is a heart after Jesus.’ I pray you will accept your call and responsibility, as one who was lost and saved by the grace of Jesus, to share the saving grace of Jesus with those who are lost. In Jesus’ name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
Please share your reflections and prayers with us on this blog in the comment box below.
Help Me Help Others Out Of Their Graves!
Help Me Share The Gospel!
I could use your financial support for One Direction Community and my family to jump down into the pits and help lift up those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around. Please commitment to partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758. Thank You!!
