10/14/2025
Do we approach others with the gospel of Jesus Christ because we feel they are in need of hearing it, or because Jesus told us to go? Do we spread the word of The Lord because we wish to find a closer walk with Him in the process, or because we are being obedient? These are subtle differences that make a difference.
“And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."”
Matthew 28:18-20 ESV
Before we can do anything in regards to our calling to be a missionary, we must first know Jesus Christ ourselves; then He will command us to go. Taking the gospel into the world is not a journey of self-enlightenment, or a personal means of spiritual growth, even though those things might occur, but it is a way of living out our belief once we have learned to love and worship Him. Spreading the good news is not about having an adventure in life, but rather about living out our lives by abiding in Christ, which, by the way... is absolutely an adventure in faith.
I know two men that you might call missionaries because they are abroad and teach of Jesus. One calls himself a missionary and the other does not. The one who calls himself a missionary has the skill to build and repair houses and does this for those in need, and in the process tells them of our Lord. The other goes to the Middle East and teaches Muslims of Jesus Christ because that calling is who he is, and at the very core of his belief… yet I have never heard this man refer to himself as a missionary... he is simply living the life of faith that defines him. One of these is having a house building adventure with a splash of faith used to help him finance it, and the other is living out his faith despite the danger and hardship it represents and he would do so even if he starved or died in the process.
As you look at these two men, you say to yourself “both are spreading the gospel, but in different ways” and that is true, but their motivation is worlds apart.
I also know two artists, one found that he had a talent for drawing and decided that this would be a good way to earn a living; the other had the same talent but drew and painted out of an intense love for it. The first created works of art to support himself, while if the other never sold a painting it was of no consequence. The first one would do something else if his art was unable to support him while the other would paint even if he had to starve in the process. As for the quality of their paintings? Both painted incredible works, but while the one was amazingly good, the other’s artwork captured life in a way that couldn’t be explained... his work had to be felt and experienced.
Missionaries fall into these two molds too; there are those who serve to make a living, and then there are those who are given life itself through serving. Our life in Jesus Christ should always be what propels us forward, otherwise, we are merely seeking eternity through Him. Worshiping Jesus should be the primary motivation for our efforts… not eternity. He is not simply a means of achieving eternal life. This is the difference between being a cup of sugar in an apple pie... or being the apples themselves. You can make an apple pie without sugar, but there is no apple pie without the apples.
Jesus first called His disciples to Him before He sent them out. But before we are sent out, as we read in Matthew 18, we must first worship Him without doubt in Matthew 16...
“Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.”
Matthew 28:16-17 ESV
Before we go out into the world as missionaries our faith must first take us to where Jesus tells us to meet him, because all of us are not ready to go out yet. Some of us still doubt, and if we doubt then we must first resolve that shortcoming in our faith before we can truly be used to do the work He desires of us. Once we see Him, and believe completely, then we can go anywhere in His Service because our lives will reflect who He is. Our paintings cease to be academically perfect and become works of art... our missionary efforts cease to be just an adventure as we seek to obey, and becomes a life that exudes the adventure that is Jesus Christ.
So, I ask a simple question today... are we living our life for Jesus, or living in Jesus for our life? If it is the later then…
“In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.”
John 14:20 ESV
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for your Son Jesus Christ, and I thank you for allowing me to live the life of your Son, and not just the life of one who seeks eternity through finding Him and you. Holy Father I long to be closer to you with every beat of my heart, every blink of my eye, and with the very breath you have placed within me. My life is not my own, but yours Father, and as I go to and fro in the world, let all who meet me understand the power in your Word, and let them know your Son as they come to know me. Lord, let my life exude you, and not just represent you as a fine painting would, but as a spiritual work of art whose inexplicable nature can’t be grasped... only experienced... an extension of your hand. Jesus, when I teach others your gospel and of your commandments, let me be leaving them with a piece of you through myself and not just the words that I speak of you. Even before I go out Lord, let me know you intimately, and let my life be lived from within you, even as yours is lived from within the Father.
I pray Lord God for the missionaries who you have sent into the world. I pray that you protect and keep them, and that you give them courage that is founded only in the peace of knowing you. I thank you for those who are too humble to call themselves your chosen, for their hearts truly beat as yours. I pray also Jesus for those who are merely on an adventure and whose motivation may not be as it should. Remove their doubt Lord... change their lives... even as they walk about in the world at their own leisure and speak of you. Bring glory unto yourself through all those who believe and serve you as a means of living out their lives. And glorify yourself as well through those you must perfect in their faith and belief as they go about seeking eternity. I ask all of this in the name of your Son Jesus and that you be glorified in it.
Amen.
Rich Forbes