Text: Acts 1:8 – “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
The scripture in Acts 1:8 captures the scheme of work given to the early and contemporary Church. When Jesus was to ascend to heaven, He gave just one assignments with many parts to all His disciples. This assignment is Mission (Matthew 28:19-20). That is called Great Commission. In our text again today, You and I, are called to be Christ’s witnesses in our Jerusalem (family and vicinity), Judea and Samaria (our Nation), and uttermost part of the earth (the whole world). That is the scope of our assignment. No other assignment has been given to us than to witness for Christ everywhere. This is the work we have been employed to do. The question is, “How much of the work have we done and how well are we doing it?” Mission works is not for specific selected few as we tag it. It is not only for the missionaries, pastors, evangelists, etc. It is for all who have come to Christ in repentance and are saved. It is for all who claim to be follower of Jesus. God has assigned the part of the larger scheme for each person to partake in as an individual. He gave everyone all that we need for the task – Salvation and Holy Spirit. He also gave everyone specific tools according to His grace to individuals – your spiritual gifts and talents. All of us are to go but different geographical locations and dimensions. All of us are to give our resources as much as we have been blessed. All of us are to grown (pray) for others who needs our supports on our knees from time to time. Unfortunately, many of us shy away from going, claiming or promising to be giving or praying, yet we usually fail in doing that. It’s time you examine yourself on how actively involved are you in missions? How much of your God-given resources do you invest in missions? Mission work is not just your responsibility but a privilege to partner with the Lord. Don’t miss out on it. Do your part which may be one or more of the following:
Going Missions (Mark 16:15): – “He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”
The great commission (Gospel) that was given to the disciples and passed across to us is to set up God’s Kingdom among all men, regardless of cultures, tribes, ethnics or nations, by the preaching of the gospel, the glad tidings of reconciliation to God through a Mediator our Lord Jesus Christ. The message is to inform them everything concerning Christ; the prophecies of His birth in Old Testament, His birth, earthly life, death, resurrection, ascension and His reigning as our Mediator in heaven. We are to tell them the meaning and intention of these messages, and of the advantages accrued to whosoever believe and accept Him as Lord and Saviour. Thereafter invite them, without exception, to come and share in the salvation. We are to tell as many as we can, and bid them to tell others. It is a message of universal concern, therefore, it ought to be given a universal attention and to have a universal welcome. All Christians from the point of salvation have been commissioned to go. The instruction is clear and simple – go. You are not to wait and expects sinner to come to you. You have been given the mandate to go to them, make the move to introduce the gospel to sinners. Sins and Satan that is in charge of the lives of sinners will never lead them to come to Christ. But Christ has commissioned us to look for them with the message of truth and freedom. Jesus did the same, going from cities to cities, villages to villages, ministering to all kinds of people – old and small, male and female, Jews and Greeks, everyone. The going mission is to go to everywhere and to everyone that have not accepted Jesus. They are in your family, church, neighbourhood, offices, etc. Reach out to them. That is your going mission.
Sending Missions (Acts 13:1-3): – “Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.”
The great commission can be done in various ways if only we will allow the Holy Spirit to be in charge. We are not only to go and do missions by ourselves, we can as well send people to go on our behalf, especially to places we cannot reach in persons or as means of spreading our missionary work tentacles. This is not to excuse ourselves from the task but to engage more people in order to cover more ground for Christ. Jesus, on several occasions, sent out the disciples (the twelve, seventies and one hundred and twenty) to go out and minister to the lost while He wasn’t sleeping behind but took care of other ministry work. Likewise, the Church in our text above, they got instructions from the Holy Spirit to set apart Paul and Barnabas for mission work to the Gentiles while the Church continued with the mission work among the Jews. The Holly Spirit assigned the mission work to Barnabas and Saul. They were to leave the church and take the gospel to the Gentiles. The church cooperated with the Holy Spirit and released the brothers. They supported them with all that they need both physically and spiritually. You as a person can engage a missionary who is on the missions to a foreign land. You can support with prayer, material things and care for the person as ministry partner. You can also lead and encourage your Church to do so and remain faithful to the assignment. This does not affect all your personal efforts in your locality. As you support the sent, you continue with spreading the gospel in your area. That’s Sending Missions.
Giving Missions (Philippians 4:14-16) – “Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need.”
The above text shows the grateful hearts of Apostle Paul to Philippian church for the kindness and generosity shown to him when he was in prison, where he wrote some Epistles. In the matter of giving and supporting missionaries with all manner of resources, the church did well. The Philippians were the only ones to support Paul during this particular period. Though their gifts may not be much by human standard of measurement but their hearts and hands of giving were great before God. Another way we can involve in missions is through giving, sharing our resources of any kind with the missionaries and their families. No matter how little we give, it goes a long way. This is not to give with pity as if they are beggars or the most miserable persons that should be pitied. You are also not to give some substandard materials as though that is what they deserve. No. They are not beggars nor losers in life but persons who paid the sacrifice of leaving their comfort zones, to represent Christ in foreign land on our behalves. They are great people before God who could sacrifice what many others can not. Thus, they deserve heroic honour and recognition. Giving to support missions ought to be done as often as you receive. God expects you as individual and His Church to minister to the needs of His servants in the field. This encourages them and help the gospel to spread faster. Remember that there is nothing you have that is not given to you. You earn nothing. Learn to give for God’s work. Godly giving does more good for the giver than for the one who received (Acts 20:36 says, it is more blessed to give than to receive).
(to be continued next month)
