Missionary Day message
What Compels Us? (Romans 9-11; 2 Corinthians 5:14)
Pastor Thuamminlian
Introduction (Romans 1:1-17)
The heart of the Gospel is Missions. Paul describes clearly the meaning of GOSPEL which is Jesus Christ, His death and His resurrection. Paul also talks about how he long to visit Rome, have a harvest among them and preach the word of God. He further states that the gospel is powerful which brings salvation to everyone who believes. We can, therefore, say that Missions is enfolded by the Gospel. The foundation of Missions is Gospel. Paul was exhorted to preach the gospel by the love of Christ.
Is there still hope for the Jews?The people of Israel are not saved and thus Paul has a great concern in his heart towards their salvation (Romans 9:1-3). He wishes that he is cursed and cut off from Christ for their sake. This is a very similar circumstance where Moses pleaded to God to forgive the people of Israel for their sin and rather erase his name instead (Exodus 32:32). Do we have that much concern towards the lost and sinners? Missionaries such as Watkin Roberts and William Carey came to our land forgetting and forsaking the pleasures of this world and the privileges they could have enjoyed. Do we have that much concern like they did towards the unsaved?
Why did Paul have that much concern towards the people of Israel?
- The Israelites did not bother about their privileges
Jesus came forHis people, the Israelites, to save them. But they rejected Him and crucified him. They were the one to benefit first but instead lost that benefit.Why is the worshipping of Satan so much prevalent in today’s world among the youths? It is because we do not know who God is to us. We often expect God to supplement us with whatever we desire. But God is not like that so. Even the Israelites expected the same from God, but God worked in a different way and thus they rejected Him. When we pray to God for something which we really wanted but He replies us in such a way we do not expect, we tend to believe that God does not exist. This is a very wrong and dangerous notion. - Paul knows very well about the state of affairs of their hereafter
Paul knows that if the people of Israel do not repent and accept Christ as their saviour, they will come upon the wrath of God. Let this message bring upon a concern towards the work of missions, a burden towards the non-believers. Let this message make us ponder upon the fate of the sinners who we could have saved when we enter the eternal life while they stride towards their eternal death. - Paul’s love for his people
Paul makes great effort for his people.He keeps traveling around trying to preach the gospel for their sake (Acts 17:2). His first strategy was to reach people, to preach and spread the words of God among them. But he fails. Yet the love of Christ exhorts him to preach and propagates the gospel for the sake of the Jews.
The Warning (Romans 11:11-24)
The people of Israel ignore their privilege, they rejected the Messiah. So because of the transgression of the Jews, salvation has come to the Gentiles(Romans 11:11).But Paul gives a warning message to the Gentiles,“For if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you either.” (Romans 11:21). Let this be a warning to us as well that if we ignore, reject and misuse the privileges given to us by God, He will not spare us either. God calls us to serve Him and to make disciples of all nations. Our only job is to preach the gospel. Whether we are in colleges, whether we work in offices, or no matter where we are, we can always do the work of missionaries. Missionary is not a title, but it is just a job description. Telling the gospel to those who have never heard of it is the work of a missionary.
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