In October 2010, I was commissioned in the Foreign Service of the United States. I considered this an honor. I recall the sensation of stepping into a new identity and carrying a diplomatic passport as a USAID senior development officer in a war zone. Though I felt a bit out of place, it was exciting to begin with, and it would be my life for four and a half years.
I vividly remember the times when my wife and I were commissioned as missionaries, both before and after that experience. The idea of being sent on a mission by God and a community of believers was also exciting. Perhaps it wasn’t so “exciting” after a while, but for me, it was much more fulfilling than being employed as a government worker. Being entrusted with the responsibility to share the Good News in a foreign land was an exceptional honor. There was also some occasional disillusionment during challenging times, which the Lord used to work on our hearts. But we were sent to serve the King of kings and Lord of lords, and God, by his grace, carried us through. When we were commissioned and sent into the Lord’s work, being obedient to the calling we had received, we found how faithful God is to his promises as we leaned into him.
In 1 John 4:9, we read that, “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.” (ESV, emphasis mine) It begins with God’s unconditional love, incarnate in Christ which, in turn, inspires our life of action.
The Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-21 is an urgent commission. God first sent Jesus and now Jesus, by his authority in heaven and earth, sends us out, saying,
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. (ESV)
Jesus is with us, and we are to live through him as we are sent into the world to disciple others.
The Prayer League is a community that prays for the Lord of the harvest to send more workers to the harvest (see our theme verse, Luke 10:2). We also send workers called by God in answer to prayer “The love of God was made manifest among us” for this honorable and urgent commission. We want to mobilize the worldwide church in this task and provide opportunities for believers of all backgrounds called by God to serve him by being sent to the harvest fields with the Good News.
Recently, my wife and I had the opportunity to hear the testimony of someone who shared his experience of being called and sent, only to find himself incarcerated for several years. His testimony of how God sustained him is incredible. He now has a ministry to people of that language group who are spread out in many countries of the world. They would have little opportunity to hear the Good News without his ongoing ministry. He’s received countless emails from people who have been impacted by his teaching ministry. Sometimes, when we can’t physically go, or where the harvest is so spread out, God uses other media to bring the Good News and its transforming power.
Please pray with me:
Father, we thank you for sending your Son in love, who in turn sends us out into the world, in love. We thank you for Jesus’ authority and command, and for the Holy Spirit who enables us to do what would otherwise be absurd and impossible. We desperately pray for more workers for your harvest fields, where 70,000 people die each day without salvation, and billions still have not heard. Father, I pray that you would open new avenues for Christians to hear about the expanding opportunities in our network. We pray for more workers to be sent, who have a heart for the lost, who see Jesus’ urgent commission as an honor worth pursuing, and who have the courage to step out in faith. Amen.
I am reminded of these lyrics to a well-known hymn which begins with an Advent theme:
God sent his son, they called him Jesus;
Because He Lives, song by Bill and Gloria Gaither
He came to love, heal and forgive.
He lived and died to buy my pardon;
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.
Jesus lived and died to buy their pardon. Now they need to hear for Jesus to be their Savior. May this Advent season bring peace and joy – and more harvest workers for God’s harvest!