Timeless Truths: Unlikely Missionaries

This Timeless Truth is "all me." I did write it years ago, so it meets my criteria for "timeless." It's based on Scripture, which is "truth."

It's something I need to think about as we head into 2017. 

Maybe you do, too. 

Just sayin' . . .

Happy New Year!

Unlikely Missionaries

By Chuck Downing

When you hear the term “missionary,” some image comes to your mind. Maybe it’s an elderly maiden lady, or a grizzled man, or maybe it’s something else. I invite you to read along. Then, follow the simple instructions for a “do it yourself activity” at the end of this devotional.

Jesus tells the parable of the wedding banquet in Matthew 22: 1-10. The Scripture in this font is from the NIV.

Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.

Let’s set the stage. God is the king. Jesus is the son. The wedding banquet can be analogous to the church.

He [the king] sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.

So, we’ve got guests who know what they’re supposed to be doing but choose not to do it. This can be anyone who is aware of God’s plan but ignores the prompting of the Holy Spirit and those Christians around him/her.

"Then he sent some more servants and said, 'Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.' "But they paid no attention and went off--one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

I’m not going to attempt to explain what all is implied in this portion of the parable. Suffice it to say that God is not real happy with people who know what they’re supposed to do but refuse to do it. Or worse, treat those who are doing His work shamefully.

"Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.'

God invites everyone to be part of His church. We, as servants, have a job: Go and invite those who don’t know much, if anything, about spiritual things to be part of God’s plan. 

Hey, wait! That sounds like what missionaries do. 

Good. You’re paying attention.

So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

God’s servants actively gather those who need God. They don’t stop this task until the whole wedding hall is filled.

Okay. But this part of the story begins with a sparsely populated wedding hall (the church—not a church building, but the church as an entity). 

And we’ve got individuals who don’t know about the wedding. 
Who are those folks?

I submit they could be people in foreign lands—the classic definition of a mission field. However, if you read the story, you’ll notice that these servants stayed right around the local palace. Not only that, they gathered all kinds of local people—townspeople.

I like this image of the servants gathering "all kinds of local people" for the wedding feast.

So, what’s all this got to do with missions? 

I don’t think if you asked the servants what they were doing that any of them would have responded, “missions work.” They would have said, “We’re doing what the Master requires.” However, the servants sound a lot like missionaries to me.

Try this "do it yourself activity." (Remember, I told you to be ready for one.) 

To uncover the identity of one of these servants, 

q  Go into your bathroom.

q  Make sure the light is turned off.

q  Stand facing the mirror with your eyes closed.

q  Turn on the light and open your eyes.

You’re looking at a missionary. One who’s called to “missions work” right where you live, with all kinds of townspeople you know, work with, or live around.

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My website is: www.crdowning.com

I'd appreciate your feedback!

Email me at: chuckdowningauthor@gmail.com