When
we first think of missionaries we often think of people working in remote
jungles trying to learn a tribal language and communicate the good news of the
Gospel. There is certainly a need for that still today. Yet, missionaries take
many forms, locations, and job descriptions. Many missionaries live in air
conditioned houses, drive nice cars, and live in well-developed urban
environments.
To the surprise of most, the words "missions" and "missionary" aren’t found in the scripture. However, the definition and concept of missions is a central theme in the Bible. A simple explanation of missions is that we have a glorious King who has rescued us into His kingdom, and now we get to love Him, worship Him, and tell the world about Him so others will love, worship and share Him.
“Missions isn’t for superstars. Missionaries are just like you; ordinary
people who God uses to do the extraordinary.” (Chuck
Swindoll)
Wikipedia defines missional living as: "In Christianity, missional living takes place when the believer adopts the posture, thinking, behaviors and practices of a missionary in order to engage others with the gospel message." As we look at some missionaries in the Old Testament of the Bible, broaden your idea of what you think a missionary might look like. See how these unique individuals carried the message of God to the lives of others around them, and to us many centuries later:
A Little Maid in 2 Kings 5:1-5-An
unnamed girl from Jerusalem was captured as a slave and taken to Syria. Away
from her home and family, she served as a foreign missionary in the house of
Naaman, the captain of the armies of Syria. Though Naaman was a mighty man of
war, he was afflicted with leprosy.
This
little servant girl had good news to share. She knew of a man in her home
country named Elisha, a prophet of God. She knew that Elisha had the power of
God on his life and that if Naaman would visit the prophet, then he could be
healed. This little missionary girl directed her master to someone who could
more powerfully show God’s might and message. Even though she was in a foreign
land (against her will) she loved the people enough to share God’s good news. She
had such a testimony among the people with whom she worked that they acted upon
the information she gave and never questioned her motives.
Esther from the Book of Esther-King
Ahasuerus chose Esther to be his new queen. The king did not know that Esther
was a Jew from the family of Mordecai when he agreed to a decree that would put
all Jews in danger. She informed the king in a wise way about the plot to
exterminate her people. Esther believed in her message. Her life, as well as
the life of her family, depended on her delivering that important message even
at the risk of execution. May we be as wise and as passionate as Esther when
delivering the good news of Jesus Christ to those around us.
Daniel from Daniel 1, 6-Daniel
was one of a group of children taken from their homes in Jerusalem when King
Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians invaded. These children were taken because
they seemed to be bright, well-mannered, well-educated, and wise (Daniel 1:4). Daniel
grew up in this foreign land holding onto the truths that he was taught as a
young boy in Jerusalem.
Even
as a young man Daniel took a stand for what he believed was right when he
refused to eat food that was not permitted by the law of God (Daniel 1:5-16).
Daniel grew in wisdom as demonstrated throughout the book of Daniel. He also
gained great favor with the leadership of his adopted country. Through changes
of leadership, Daniel was consistently chosen as a wise leader and was depended
upon to give direction to the country.
When
Daniel was an old man he became friends with King Darius. But not everyone
loved Daniel. Some men wanted his position. They convinced the king to sign a
law that they knew would trap Daniel. The law stated that no man could pray to,
or ask help from any king or deity for 30 days. For boldly praying to God,
Daniel was cast into a pit of lions. King Darius declared Daniel’s God to be
the true God when Daniel emerged safely from the den of lions. Daniel
consistently showed the people who surrounded him that there was only one true
God.
King
Nebuchadnezzar built an idol and demanded that everyone worship his creation.
These three young men refused to worship the idol. They were thrown into a fiery furnace
for their refusal. When they came out of the furnace unharmed, the king
declared that they should be allowed to worship their God in any way they
pleased. No one should put limitations on these three young men (Daniel 3:28).
They were granted the positions of authority that Daniel had requested for
them.
“I believe that in each
generation God has called enough men and women to evangelize all the yet
unreached tribes of the earth. It is not God who does not call. It is man who
will not respond.” (Isobel Kuhn)[i]
[i] Inspired by the sermon “The Missional Message of the
Old Testament, “Sunday June 16, 2019, Elder Ryan
Edwards, CenterPoint Gahanna Church Gahanna, OH.
Sources
used:
·
“If You're a Christian, You're a
Missionary” By
Shane Pruitt
·
“Missionaries in the Bible: 10 to Emulate” by David
Peach
One of my blog members (Christa) wanted more pictures on the blog. Here is my daughter, Allena, future missionary to Ghana Africa. Her picture fits with this post.
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