I once heard about a saying a missionary said. This missionary, Reuben Larson, was on a speaking tour of America. His message was to get more involved in missions, and his slogan was Pray, Give, or Go.
This sounds correct, and better yet, very inspiring. You would think this would encourage many Americans to forsake their complacent lifestyle, but rather, I think it encourages it. Upon praying and thinking about the subject, I discovered why. Not only did I discover why, but I discovered the better way.
Pray
Praying is good. Most Christians grasp this concept. Many of those tend to pray about missions on a regular basis. So Larson telling us to pray is not bad in and of itself. The Bible tells us to pray without ceasing. We must pray. This is vital to the Christian life. This is simply communication with our loving Daddy, and I’ve never heard of a father-child relationship going well without communication.
We are instructed to pray, which is communication with our Daddy, and we are also instructed to intercede, which is praying for mercy, grace, and God’s touch on someone’s life. We are to intercede for the unbeliever, so that they may come to Christ, and for our brothers and sisters in Christ, especially those in hardship or persecution. That said, of course we should pray for missionaries. This is not an “or” situation, as the phrase says. This is a choice, yet a responsibility. It is our joyful responsibility to pray and intercede.
Give
As Christians, it is also our responsibility to give. As the Word says, God loves a cheerful giver. This does not mean that God doesn’t love everyone. He is love. It means he delights to see His children give, especially when it is with a cheerful heart. That is a big difference.
This means the Lord delights to see us give, not out of obligation, but out of the goodness, and cheerfulness, of our hearts. And it is the opposite of all the verse is trying to convey to use the verse in church to make people give with a cheerful heart. After all, the verse means we shouldn’t give out of obligation.
So giving, rather it be hope, money, clothes, a warm place to stay, or food, should be a natural part of Christian living. This includes brothers and sisters that are doing God’s will. So it isn’t a pray or give situation. These should be parts of our everyday Christian lifestyle. We should not have to be told over and over again like little children that we should pray and give. Praying is communication with our Father, and giving is the overflow.
Go
This is the hardest to explain, but the reward is great after explaining.
To go is a choice – just as praying and giving are. However, it is a command. Humans have free will. They don’t have to obey God. But there are consequences. This is God’s command to His people, and there are consequences to disobedience – complacency being one.
It is necessary to follow Christ’s command to preach, baptize (both in the Holy Spirit and in water), heal, cast out demons, share salvation with people, and be Christ like. This needs to be done no matter where we are. That is Christ’s command, no matter our age, gender, qualifications, nationality, color, or talents.
This we must do on a daily basis, wherever we are. Our command is to approach people in love and show them God’s plan for them. Our command is to pray for them. Our command is to follow Christ’s commission. Our location doesn’t excuse us from this command.
The people in the United States and other developed nations need Jesus. That said, it is our duty to preach the Gospel no matter where we are. But just as much as the developed nations of the world need Jesus, people drowning in poverty on the other side of the world need Jesus and local believers need strengthening. And the Holy Spirit might well call you there.
The reason there’s not enough missions is Christians aren’t doing their job here, which shows their irresponsibility to complete the work there, and the Christians aren’t listening to the Holy Spirit when He tells us to go to other countries and do the same thing we are doing here. We must follow the Commission wherever we are, but sometimes the Holy Spirit wants us to move so we can be tested and make the most out of our motives. The Holy Spirit is the voice we should follow, not the one of our parents, pastors, denominations, creeds, finances, safety, location, or any other voice. So start living the Book of Acts, and take that to wherever the Holy Spirit calls you whenever He does. This may involve many different places, or just one. Obey the Holy Spirit, and you’ll get it right.
#obeytheholyspirit #yourpastorisnotGod #pray #give #livethegreatcommission #go #identity #letsgo #fuego
Much love, Elle
Elle's Everyday 