What Are You Expecting?

Working in the world of global missions\international ministry/missionary service – whatever you’d like to call it 🙂 is a grand privilege.  We work in the power of God to present the world with the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ! Our boss is the most powerful boss on the planet; the most virtuous; the most fair; the most loving boss in the entire world.  He is loving; He wants all of us to succeed; He has equipped and called us in specific ways!  He created the world and He has accomplished more than we will ever accomplish AND He will bring to pass more than we can ever hope to do in our own power!  Perfect — He is absolutely perfect!

But there is, as always with humans, a little bit of a catch.  We love to give honor; adoration; credit; distinction to others who have been in the same line of work – as if something that they’ve done is beyond us.  It’s normal – its what we do; its what I do!  We name things after those who went to the mission field 100s of years ago; we compare one another to those who have laid their lives down for the gospel and gone on to glory; we remind ourselves of what our predecessors have done.  Normal ….

The truth of the matter is there was but ONE who counts as the initial missionary – He is our Christ, His name is Jesus.  He left His home and throne to come down to this earth and ensure that a fallen world would be reconciled to The Creator.  He is the ONE who shed His blood – and only His blood is worthy of any praise and adoration.  For those of us who have believed on Him and have since been called to a life on the mission field (Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, or the uttermost parts of the earth) — we all will benefit the same; whether we were called 100s or years ago or just landed in our new place of service.

We just better be careful!  There is nothing that we do that will esteem us above Him.  There is nothing that we will do that will esteem us above one another.  Didn’t you believe on Him to be saved?!  Didn’t you answer the call out of your own love and obedience to God?  Didn’t you say “Yes” because you were willing to work for His glory and not your own?  Aren’t you ready to accept whatever it is He greets you with in glory, even if its not the same as Jim Elliot, Ray Buker, Mark Young, Amanda Berry Smith, George Leile, Grover Cooper or even Lloyd Chinn?!

Think about it…