Memorize:
And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.
Mark 16:20
Read: Acts 13:1–5
1 Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and
teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of
Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch,
and Saul.
2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy
Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have
called them.
3 And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
4 So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.
5 And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the
synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to their minister.
Message
Missions can be defined as God specifically sending a person to reach
the unreached for him. The unreached are those people who have not heard
the gospel sufficiently enough to be taken over for Christ. The sender
is God, and the personality sent is the missionary. The unreached can be
within the environment of the missionary or in faraway lands. A Call is
imperative for missionary work. The missionary call is just like any
other call to Christian service. Many people have shipwrecked their
lives because they were not sure of God’s call upon their life. If you
are sure of God’s call upon your life, you will not be tossed to and fro
by all shades of doctrine. Being called to be a missionary is by God’s
grace; it does not follow a stereotyped style. Factors underlying God’s
call include acknowledging and receiving a claim of ownership by Christ.
You must acknowledge divine ownership upon your life and develop an
understanding of God’s will and have the willingness to do it. You
should also develop sensitivity to the Holy Spirit’s voice by having an
open mind, an attentive ear and a pure heart. In addition, you should be
active in God’s service. A missionary call does not necessarily come
through a special revelation. The call can come through a casual remark
by a friend or neighbour about the heathen. It can be through a letter
received from a missionary or through reading extracts from an article,
book or periodical. It can be through a hymn, an anointed message, counseling from an anointed leader or through divinely orchestrated
circumstances. Are you prepared to answer the missionary call?
A
missionary should be physically fit to withstand adverse situations such
as mosquitoes, bad climates, diseases, poor public sanitation and poor
medical services. Also, a prospective missionary should at least be at
the level of his or her audience. In other words, a missionary must be
adequately educated to reach the highest of all the educated folks in
the mission field and should be able to meet and discuss with other
missionaries at their level. To excel as a missionary, you need a
charming personality that is emotionally stable. You should also be able
to adapt to the culture and food of other people. There is equally the
need for you to be patient and persevering. A missionary should be
versatile. He or she should also be submissive to God, the mission board
and to his or her superior officers. Finally, whoever wishes to be a
missionary should have a thorough experience of salvation,
sanctification and the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Action Point:
For success on the field, every missionary should ask for the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Go ahead and ask for these gifts now.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : 1 KINGS 4-6 and PROVERBS 15:25-16:5
AUTHOR : Pst E. A ADEBOYE
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