This article is inspired by IREC Sydney’s Concert of Prayer. Revisiting the Word of God preached by Rev. Agus Marjanto.
Jim Elliot, Hudson Taylor, William Carey, David Livingstone, Adoniram Judson. Do at least some of these names sound familiar? If they don’t, I encourage you to go do a bit of research. These are the names of only some modern day missionaries who have served faithfully over their lives, until the very end of their life. There are many, many things we can learn from them if only we truly humble our hearts and sincerely have a teachable heart.
William Carey, the ‘Father of Modern Mission’ prepared to leave for India for his mission trip. Before that, he said to his fellow colleagues and friends: “I will go down into the pit, if you will hold the rope.” There’s obviously a deeper meaning behind this allegory. As metaphorical as it sounds, it is crucial to understand the deeper meaning and the essence Carey is trying to get at. When you imagine someone caving or going into deep pits, there will always be at least 2 people. One person will be the one going down and the other will be above holding the rope lest he falls. Likewise is the reality of mission work. Behind missionaries who go into the mission field to serve, there are people who are continuously “holding the rope”, supporting them physically, emotionally and spiritually. Support can come in many forms, through prayer, constant encouragement, financial support and care. While missionaries must know that their sustenance and providence always comes from the Lord, the support from your fellow friends, and people who pray alongside you is deeply needed.
God makes it clear to everyone that His will for us is to have a heart for mission. We are called to have a heart of mission wherever and however it may be. Both the one going down into the pit, and the one holding the rope, have a heart for mission.
Purpose of Mission
“Mission exists because worship doesn’t” (John. Piper) The reason that God has called us to do mission is to bring about obedient, love-filled and life-giving worship among people and places who do not have such habits yet. The end goal of mission is to bring people to worship God to ultimately bring glory to Him. Glory is at the heart of every true worship. Since this important missionary task that God has given us is for His glory, we must first understand the nature of God’s glory. God’s glory is double directional. In other words, “God reveals His glory to all nations in order to receive glory from all nations.” God reveals his glory to receive glory. Mission and evangelism is crucial in fulfilling this task.
Psalm 67:3
“Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!”
God deserves to be worshipped and He truly longs that more people can praise Him to bring glory to Him. This exact verse is identically written twice in the same chapter (67:3 and 67:5).
Asking for a heart for mission
A heart for mission does not just appear out of nowhere, but it is something only God can give to us. We must constantly ask God for a heart of mission through our prayers. Not only that but a heart of mission is a process, definitely not spontaneously given. It starts off small like a seed planted in our hearts. As we learn more about mission and God’s purpose for us, the seed will continue to grow, slowly but surely, as long as we have an open heart towards God’s Word.
When you think of a mission, it is not always going to be departing to a whole other country to spread the gospel there, mission can start in your own suburbs. There are many people around us that need the revival if they have not already known about God. Starting small from the friends around you, you can be a salt and a light so that God’s love can shine through you — the gospel can be shared in many ways from there. Whether in a small suburb where you live, or elsewhere, sincerely ask God to give you a missionary heart.
God’s calling for us to do mission has been established from the very beginning
It is only up to us to respond to this accordingly. Will we reach out to the many lost souls, not only around the world, but to the people whom we are closest with? Or will we ignore this calling and decide to use our time for other matters? Our time doesn’t belong to us (Yes, I know – huge paradox!) It belongs to God. How does God want to use your life to expand God’s kingdom?
