October 14, 2009 THE KEY TO THE MISSIONARY

Matthew 28: 18-20 - 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."

The basis of missionary appeals is the authority of Jesus Christ, not the needs of the heathen. We are apt to look upon Our Lord as One Who assists us in our enterprises for God. Our Lord puts himself as the absolute sovereign supreme Lord over His disciples. He does not say the heathen will be lost if we do not go: He simply says – “Go ye therefore and teach all nations.” Go on the revelation of My sovereignty; teach and preach out of a living experience of Me.
Chambers points out a subtle but critically important point about the missionary call. Before Christ says anything else to His disciples, He says “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” The matter is not that we are to save the lost, but that we are to obey Christ by witnessing to them. “Saving” them is God’s bit; we are called to simply share Christ in a real way that reflects who He is and all He has called us to. Jesus is not to be relegated to the role of one who simply “assists us in our enterprises for God.” He IS the enterprise! He is the Almighty God! Some months ago our pastor brought up the “God is my Copilot” bumper stickers and pointed out how THAT mentality is the problem for many of us. We’ve relegated God to the passenger seat, while we see ourselves as the one really running the show. This mindset flies in the face of what Christ says here in verse 18: “All authority has been given to me.” Jesus didn’t say “All authority has been given to YOU and I’ll be here if you need me” – and yet, how often do we live out our Christian walk just that way?

Chambers goes on to say:
If I want to know the universal sovereignty of Christ, I must know Him for myself, and how to get alone with Him; I must take time to worship the Being Whose Name I bear.
Whether we are called to witness for Christ in the African Jungle, the Corporate Jungle or simply to the people we come in contact with each day in our communities, we must first and foremost KNOW HIM. This means time spent alone with the Savior in prayer and in worship. If we aren’t spending time alone with Him, our efforts to be an adequate and an accurate witness will be disappointing at best.

For several years I waited tables, and I am very sad to say that the shift dreaded above all others was Sunday brunch. The “after church crowd” would descend on the restaurant in droves and come 12:30 the restaurant would be packed with the faithful. It was common topic of conversation amonst the primarily unchurched serve staff that this group above all others was often difficult, demanding – and notoriously stingy with their tips. Perhaps the greatest puzzle to me at the time was how an hour of edification in the presence of the Lord could put people in such a dreadful mood. Exasperated parents corralling unruly children and the demanding middle aged man seated at the end of the table with his Bible occupying a seat next to him, barking orders as if I were unworthy of civility. Not to mention the server’s favorite: the little piece of paper that at a glance appeared to be a $20 bill, but when picked up, it was actually a tract. “You were probably disappointed when you realized that this wasn’t really money” it said “but this message is more valuable than any amount of money you can imagine” (unless there is a real $20 visibly tucked in this little gem, I guarantee you it is thrown away without a thought to the message contained inside). Most of those customers probably didn’t (and don’t) realize that their “brunch” is all of Jesus many people will ever see. And the “witness” I received during all those Sundays is part of the reason I steered clear of the church for so long.

Our LIVES are our witness. Our true witness occurs not in the church parking lot, but in the parking lot of the restaurant we eat in after church. In the department store when the clerk is overworked and overwhelmed and we have to wait in line longer than we’d like to. In the grocery store when our items don’t ring up for the sale price. In the park when we are playing with our children. At the ballgame. Even at work. As Christians we must be keenly aware of the witness we provide, because we are always providing one whether it is one that truly reflects the grace and love of our Lord or not.

To provide a true witness of our Lord, as Chambers says, we must know Him for ourselves. We must spend time alone with Him, and take the time to worship Him. Only then can we hope to reflect who He truly is.