1 Corinthians 9:19
“For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.”
My father was the pastor at Pilot Knob Baptist Church out in the country, outside of Beara, Kentucky. The church was on the main road, but far away from any town, as I remembered. I have many precious memories of growing up there at this church. Once as a child when I attended our church’s Vacation Bible School (VBS) in the late 1950s to early and mid-1960s, we would all proudly sing songs, have a Bible drill, and recite our Bible memory verses for our parents at the closing ceremony of the week-long VBS event. One of the popular chorus songs I remembered went like this:
“Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.”
The Bible memory verse we learned at VBS was John 3:16 from the King James Version, which said, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Then we were taught missionary lessons that I will never forget, even as an old man my age. One lesson that our teacher taught us was the acronym for JOY. The meaning of JOY remained most significant throughout my life, which was: J is for Jesus who is first in our lives, O is for others in the world that we must love and serve secondly, and Y is for yourself which we are to love last of all in all humility. My most cherished moments as a child were going to VBS. Who would have ever thought that the lessons I learned in VBS would be the most life-changing for me? The greatest gift was becoming a Christian from the children’s sermon my father had preached (this would be a great topic for another post someday soon in the near future – sorry!). The other lesson was living out the acronym for JOY in my life as a very young Christian, but it worked for me throughout my whole life: Jesus was first, others are second, and last but not least, was me.
If we love Jesus, as we were taught to do, then we must love what Jesus loved. John 3:16 clearly declares that God so loved the world.” So the object of God’s love is this beautiful, magnificent, and amazing world we live in. God so loves his world so much that he gave his one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to die in my place for the penalty of my sins. And if that wasn’t enough, He also gave me His perfect righteousness so I can stand before God. God did this not only for me but for all the children of the world. Therefore, we also must love all the children of the world and pray that God will open their hearts and save them, no matter what nationality or ethnicity they are. We are to love everyone, not just in words, but also in our deeds.
I guess the reason this simplistic lesson was so meaningful to me and never ceased to be important or life-changing, was because my father would always have visiting missionaries from other countries come to our church and preach a missionary sermon. One missionary came from Africa, one from Asia, and my father’s best friend from his Bible college days came from Brazil. God used these messages to keep my heart warm and knowledgeable about what God’s will is for others who may never hear of the Gospel. Our challenges and commission are, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” ( Matthew 28:19-20).
As an adult, I have come to realize that our service in love to others is twofold. Yes, we as the church are commissioned to evangelize the world in the name of Jesus Christ for God’s glory; nevertheless, we are also instructed to take care and provide for other’s physical needs as well, the same way Jesus did and the way He taught us in Scripture. For example, one of the most beloved parables of Christ is the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). In this parable, a Jewish man was caught, beaten, and left to die on the side of the road. There was no one willing to help. Others passed by, like Levites and priests and others, but the only one who stopped to help the man was a Samaritan, a castaway from Jewish ideology because he was not a pure descendent of Abraham. The Samaritan climbed down from his donkey to help take care of the man. He place the man on his donkey and led him to the nearest town. In the town, the Samaritan asked and paid an innkeeper to take care of this man. And if that was not enough, the Samaritan also told the innkeeper if the cost becomes greater, then when he returns he will pay the innkeeper for the additional funds. Jesus, then asked, who then was the good neighbor to this man? Obvious it was not any of the others; it was the Samaritan, the castway!
In Matthew 25:31-40, we have Jesus’ discourse on the end time. This is especially meaningful because it shows God’s heart for all mankind, particularly to the poor. In this message, Jesus said that in the end times, nations will come before Him and the angels will separate them like separating lambs from goats. Then he will commend those who fed, clothed and visited him in prison. Those will ask, when did we do all these things to you. Jesus responded to them by saying that when they fed, clothed, and visited the poor people, they did this to Him. We also ought to heed this warning and be good and faithful stewards by blessing the poor, and those humble and broken in spirit as well. God’s heart is with the poor. We are his instruments in this needy and desperate world.
As for evangelism, we also have our duty, not just to make converts, but our commission by our Lord Jesus Christ is for us to go make disciplines. Disciples are followers of Christ. To follow Christ is to be with Him in daily instruction and in corporate worship. Disciples are actively engaged in learning, worshipping, and equipping others to come to their God-given gifts in service to HIm. Disciples do not remain mere babes and infants in their faith. They grow and mature so they also may go out and make disciples of others who they meet. This has been the path taken since Christ established His church. This is God’s way and purpose for us; and in all things we do, may we always glorify our God.
I’LL GO WHERE YOU WANT ME TO GO
Mary Brown, 1891
- It may not be on the mountain’s height,
Or over the stormy sea;
It may not be at the battle’s front,
My Lord will have need of me;
But if by a still, small voice He calls,
To paths that I do not know,
I’ll answer, dear Lord, with my hand in Thine,
I’ll go where You want me to go.- Refrain:
I’ll go where You want me to go, dear Lord,
O’er mountain, or plain, or sea;
I’ll say what You want me to say, dear Lord,
I’ll be what You want me to be.
- Refrain:
- Perhaps today there are loving words
Which Jesus would have me speak;
There may be now in the paths of sin,
Some wand’rer whom I should seek;
O Savior, if Thou wilt be my guide,
Though dark and rugged the way,
My voice shall echo Thy message sweet,
I’ll say what You want me to say. - There’s surely somewhere a lowly place,
In earth’s harvest fields so white,
Where I may labor through life’s short day,
For Jesus the Crucified;
So trusting my all to Thy tender care,
And knowing Thou lovest me,
I’ll do Thy will with a heart sincere,
I’ll be what You want me to be.