GOD MADE HIS ONLY SON A MISSIONARY

Son: Dad! Mum! Guess what? God is calling me to be a missionary.

Dad: Really?

Son: Yes dad.

Mum: Are you sure about this? When did you receive this call? Have you suddenly forgotten that you are our only child?

Son: No mum. But souls are dying and going to Hell. You have brought me up well in matters of God. I have what it takes to be a missionary by virtue of the dealings of God upon my life. I have been sensing the call for a while now but in my just concluded retreat, it became clear, exactly what He wants me to do.

Dad: I’m sorry but I am not ready to lose my only son to a life of hardship. God can send others who are not the only offspring of their parents. Stay here and serve God.

Above is a little fictional illustration of the resistance loved ones can put up when an individual decides to go for a not-so-envied life assignment of a missionary. It is even worse if such an individual is an only child.

When a lot of people hear the word, “missionary”, the picture they have in mind can range from that of a suffering fellow who is broke, depends on churches and charity organizations for sustenance, exposed to different forms of rejections and persecution and may even die a martyr.

The Merriam-Webster’s English dictionary defines a missionary as a person undertaking a mission and especially a religious mission. It also defines a mission as a specific task with which a person or group is charged.

We can say therefore that one who is charged with a specific task of winning souls to God’s kingdom is a missionary.

People give up a lot of conveniences to become missionaries. This can be giving up one’s ambitions, career pursuit, giving up the conveniences of urban living in order to be able to reach those isolated from civilization, et cetera.

From the above mentioned, we have established that missionaries are charged with specific tasks and make sacrifices to ensure that task is accomplished.

I know of a certain personality who was an only begotten Son, who came to accomplish a particular task of salvation, who made the ultimate sacrifice of His own blood to ensure the task was completed. He is Jesus Christ. We may want to call Him the pioneer missionary, the chief missionary, the founding missionary, the head missionary or the grand missionary.

The need of mankind for salvation was perceived by a God who loved mankind in no small measure. This made Him send His only Son as a missionary with the aim of restoring mankind to Himself. That was how far He was ready to go to rescue man after The Fall.

Let us quickly examine some of the characteristics of an ideal missionary;

1. A missionary goes to the mission field with a purpose in mind to bring people to salvation. 

2. A missionary undergoes adequate preparation for his assignment.

3. A missionary spends a definite amount of time on the mission field which may span to his death

4. A missionary leaves a legacy behind.

All these qualities can be seen in our Lord Jesus during His thirty-three and half years on earth as we shall now see;

1. He dwelt in the mission field with a purpose in mind.   

 John 4:34 Jesus saith unto them, my meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

Matt 18:11-12

 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.

Luke 2:49

And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?

KJV

Jesus from the tender age of 12 already had the business of the Father at heart. His meat on earth was to do the Will of the Father, His assignment on earth was to save the lost.

2. A missionary undergoes adequate preparation for his assignment.

We see Jesus in the 2nd chapter of Luke reasoning with the doctors in the temple, listening and asking questions. He is found to reply the devil using scriptures He had acquainted Himself with, before the temptation (Matthew 4). His preparation entailed knowing the scriptures and then the descent of the Holy Spirit on him in the form of a dove. Like the ideal conventional missionary we know about, Jesus prepared for ministry.

3. Missionaries spend a definite amount of time in a mission field. Jesus spent thirty-three and half years on earth in His mission to save mankind. Oh, what a successful mission it was!

4. A missionary leaves a legacy behind. This can be in form of a transformation in the mindset of people in a defined geographic location. It can also be in form of discipling others to carry on the work. Jesus not only brought about a change in the mindset of the people around Him at that time but He also raised disciples who carried the missionary assignment after the completion of His own assignment in what we know today as The Great Commission.

Mark 16:15

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

KJV

That the Creator made a big deal out of saving mankind enough to present His ONLY begotten as the substitute for our sins is a call in itself for us to present our one and ONLY lives for His use in bringing salvation to the lost.  

The ideal missionary stays with GOD to find out his specific role in the Great Commission, be it in rural areas, the church, the workplace, et cetera and commits his life to its fulfilment with the aim of pleasing Him who will reward every man according to his works. This goes beyond merely preaching the Word but a commitment to align one’s life and give one’s all to establishment of divine agenda as the Holy Spirit leads.

The next time you see a missionary and you are tempted to think of him as one who has chosen to tread upon an unattractive path of self-denial and obscurity, remember that all Christians are missionaries meant to carry out the command of Christ to preach the Gospel and bring salvation to all who are lost just like Christ did.