The goer is the one who sacrifices his comforts and leaves family and friends to make the gospel known while those of us who stay behind get to take it easy, right? No way! Senders make similar sacrifices here to make Jesus known there.
As missionary William Carey, known as the “Father of Modern Missions,” prepared for his challenging journey to India, he turned to Pastor Andrew Fuller and declared, “I will go down into the pit if you will hold the ropes.”
Dr. Brett Golson wrote, “Carey’s words become emblematic of the essential relationship between those who carry the Gospel to distant lands and those who provide unwavering support. Regardless of which end of the rope you hold, remember that we share an unwavering commitment to the mission.”
“If the Christian is truly obedient to the Great Commission, he will give his life to go down into the mine or to hold the rope for those who go down. (William Carey) Either way, the rope will be burned into his hands. The depth of the scars will demonstrate or prove the extent of the obedience. Have you surrendered your life to go to the lost peoples of the world, or have you surrendered your life to support those who go? What has the Great Commission cost you? Where are your scars?” (HeartCry Missionary Society)
How will we sustain this commitment and sacrifices (scars!) to hold the ropes for those we send? What would it look like for us as senders to make similar sacrifices in our time, treasure and talents as goers do to make Jesus known among the nations?
It would take a change of attitude; a change of attitude about our purpose, our part, our partnership and our place.
First, we need a change of attitude about our purpose. We need to align our life’s purpose with God’s purpose in His Word. To be sustained to make similar sacrifices we need to exchange our story for the story of God’s plan to gather worshippers from all nations. We need to “Know the Story” from God’s Word; the story about His glory among the nations. Our purpose is often self-focused. We want to “relax, eat, and be merry” like the fool in Luke 12:18-21 who said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” No, our purpose is NOT about getting more and more here. All of history is moving to the day when there will be people from all nations worshipping around the throne. (Rev. 7:9-10) Our purpose is to live our life now to bring about that day. Everything is about living passionately for His glory among the nations. We have a global purpose as we read God’s missionary heart in the Bible.
Secondly, we need a change of attitude about our part in bringing about that day. Everyone has a part to bring about that day. Everyone in the church will not be a missionary but everyone should be a Global Christian. Every role is essential. Without intercessors who pray for God to raise up missionaries, there will be no missionaries. Without senders, missionaries will not be able to be sent or sustained. Without mobilizers, no one will be awakened to their part in seeing God glorified among the nations. We need to change our attitude. Everyone has an essential part! We all have a global part to play. We embrace our essential role with all our heart and effort.
Thirdly, we need to change our attitude about partnership. We need to deeply know and love those goers we are partnering with and deeply understand the work of our goers and commit to joining them in the work. The Philipian church joined Paul in partnership and there was a deep affection for each other and deep commitment to complete the work.
“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 1:3-8)
The Greek word for “partnership” is “koinonia” which means a “sharing” in the work. Do we always remember our partners in our prayers with joy? Do we yearn for our partners with the affection of Christ Jesus? To sustain a commitment we must love our partner missionaries and own their work of seeing their people brought into the Kingdom. We keep them and the people they are serving in our hearts and minds.
What would it look like for us as senders to make similar sacrifices in our time, treasure and talents as goers to make Jesus known among the nations?
It would take a change of attitude; a change of attitude about our purpose, our part, our partnership and our place.
Fourthly, we need a change of perspective on our place. Where is our true home? Jesus shares the treasure principle in Matthew 5:19-21, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” As Randy Alcorn writes in his book The Treasure Principle, “My heart always goes where I put God’s money. Watch what happens when you reallocate your money from temporal things to eternal things.”
We need to have an eternal mindset. This is not our home! “Our citizenship is in heaven.” (Phil. 3:30) We are living for that day when for eternity we will worship with peoples from every tongue, tribe and nations. When we have this eternal mindset, we relocate our treasures to see His eternal Kingdom established.
How can you sustain making similar sacrifices, the scars from holding the rope, as the goers you partner with?
Remember your purpose.
Remember your part.
Remember your partners in the work.
Remember your eternal place with peoples from all nations.
