Title: Mission from the Lord Jesus
Contents
Bible text: Acts 20:17-24
Mission received from the Lord Jesus
Those who have done great things in this world have found a firm mission at some point in their lives. Among the discoveries in life, the most important discovery is the discovery of one's mission. When a person has a sense of duty, a sense of duty makes a person great. When it comes to mission, four (使) is the person who runs an errand, and Myeong (命) is the person who is “life commander”. It is the life that God sent into this world to run an errand. It is the awareness that the life that was born on an errand is me. He is a humble person, but when he meets his mission, he does not know how sincere and energetic he becomes. The quality of life changes when you live with a sense of mission. His mission becomes his goal and his reason for living.
The missionary’s tears
Those who have a mission given to them by the Lord Jesus have tears. Paul is a man of tears. “From the first day until now… you know what they have done, with all humility and tears” (verse 19). He was always humble. Humility is a qualification that God uses. When I preached the gospel, I cried and said. I cried when I couldn't understand no matter how much I explained. I cried and cried with tears.
Lab analysis of tears shows that water is 90% salt, 7% protein, 2% protein, and so on. Tears cannot be explained by chemical analysis. Mother Monica's tearful prayer made the prodigal Augustine a saint. When the son who was born with his own body was debauched, he embraced the hopeless child in his heart and made him reborn with tears. The church needs Monica's tears. Mother's Prayer The tears of the missionary fulfill the mission of the mother's mission church
“Whoever sows in tears will reap with joy” (Psalm 126:5). We see the tears of the missionary in the apostle Paul. Tears from the heart that love the soul fulfill the mission. The Lord, who was carrying the cross and going to Golgotha, said to the weeping women who followed, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for you and your children.” I hope that you will fulfill your mother's mission with tears and the church's mission with tears.
The zeal of the missionary
A man with a mission from the Lord Jesus was a zealot. It is the mission that inspires such enthusiasm. In Paul's mission field, there were always “the tricks of the Jews.”
Paul had a grudge against his conversion from Judaism to Christianity and followed him wherever he went, blaspheming and attacking him, but his zeal did not cool down. His zeal was like the scorching sun. The missionary saves the church and saves the nation. An unquenchable zeal is burning in the heart of the missionary. Summer crops grow in the heat of sunlight. Because the fire is hot, the rice becomes rice. There is nothing as precious as a warm heart, a warm heart, and a hot sense of duty. The hot moves existence. Warm words move people. Passion is called passion.
Be zealous and shout. The walls will fall down. God is also zealous. “Now, saith the Sovereign LORD, be zealous for my holy name, and bring back the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy on all the house of Israel” (Ezekiel 39:25).
Behold, now I am bound by my spirit to go to Jerusalem, and I do not know what I will meet there. But the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every place, saying that bonds and afflictions await me. (verses 22-23).
To be bound by the heart means that one's heart is caught by the mission. “Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to complete his work” (John 4:34). Jesus was also a great zealot. “For the hour is still day, and we must do the work of him who sent me; and the night is coming, when no one can work” (John 9:4).
Living things move. active and working. We must move our bodies and minds with zeal. Enthusiasm is the driving force. Nothing happens without enthusiasm. When Jehu, the 16th king of Israel, destroyed those belonging to the idolaters Ahab, he said, “Look at my zeal for the Lord” (2 Kings 10:16). Nothing can be achieved without hard work. The work of salvation for mankind through Jesus Christ was also the work of Jehovah’s zeal (Isaiah 9:7). He who persecuted the church fervently in the past is now preaching the gospel fervently.
The Lord speaks to the church in Laodicea. “I rebuke and chastise those I love; be zealous and repent” (Revelation 3:19). Not working hard is a sin. He said that those who neglect the work of God will be cursed. Let's start a revival movement through our zealous evangelism.
Devotion of the missionary
Those who have a mission given to them by the Lord Jesus are dedicated. Commitment is doing your best without caring for your own interests. In the Old Testament, devotion meant a sacrifice offered to God. The apostle Paul gave himself completely to Christ. He did not regard his life as precious in the slightest. I gave that precious self as the Lord's possession. Paul said that he labored beyond his strength. It means that you put all your strength into it. He did his best to the point where he had no energy.
“I do not count my life of any value, in order to finish my course and the mission I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God” (verse 24). It is to give you a more precious life. He was the chosen vessel of the Lord to carry the name of Jesus before the Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel (Acts 9:15). His mission was to preach the gospel of grace.
God told Moses to take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground (Exodus 3:5). For the mission I have to do, I have to deny myself and go out of my way. Don't think about what kind of mission a person like me will fulfill. Physicists and scientists say a butterfly flapping its wings in distant Africa could affect Alaska's atmosphere. We must not forget that every word I say, every action I take affects mankind.
Don't think that fulfilling a mission is a huge pain. Jesus said to his followers: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Mic 11:29-30) The burden of Jesus is the mission given to us. The mission is not difficult. It's just fun. Devotion is happy. The missionary does not regard the mission as pain. Don't live like a slave, let's live as a missionary.
No matter what a person does, he must live with a sense of duty. What would you say when asked why you live? There are tears in God's missionary who pursues values. He is passionate about that person. From that person comes a dedication to risking his life. Competitiveness comes from high-quality commitment. A terrifying force arises that no one can match. I want you to live as a missionary with a sense of mission.