By David ReayWednesday 19 Jun 2013LifeWords DevotionalsFaithReading Time: 0 minutes
Transcript:
Read Luke 10:1-3
1 The Lord now chose seventy-two other disciples and sent them ahead in pairs to all the towns and places he planned to visit. 2 These were his instructions to them: “The harvest is great,but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields. 3 Now go,and remember that I am sending you out as lambs among wolves. (NLT)
Those who attend church fairly regularly will sometimes come across a situation in which the church announces that an individual or family is going out on the mission field. This usually means going into another country or some far-off place in our own country. A special service may be held to commission them: after all they are making significant sacrifices and the needs of wherever they are going are great. Jesus wants us to spread his message,which will usually involve hardship and opposition. So it is right we acknowledge all this.
But with one proviso. That we remember we are all ‘missionaries’ and each of us has a mission field. Our own family may be just as hard nuts to crack as another family speaking another language in another culture. Our own workplace may have in it people who are as far removed from the gospel as those in far-flung overseas countries.
Each of us is a lamb among wolves,to use Jesus’ phrase. Each of us has opportunities to connect people with Jesus. Each of us has a mission field. Each of us is a missionary. May it not be right that at the end of each of our church gatherings,we commission the whole congregation as missionaries to our families,neighbourhood,and workplaces. The harvest is not just beyond our shores but right at our doorstep.
Blessings
David Reay