 Missionary activity is at the heart of Biblical faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The mandate to take the Good News into all the world was given by the Risen Lord.
". . . make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)
No doubt there have been, and are, missionaries who have used coercion in their attempts to accomplish that task. As one, however, who has been privileged to know a number of missionaries, I've not met that kind of change-agent. I've been in places where the change missionaries brought has been evident. I've seen places where within my lifetime the face of the earth has been changed through their efforts, but not with harshness or arm-twisting. What I have seen reminds of one of Aesop's fables that I read back in grade school.
It seems that the North Wind and the Sun were having a discussion about who was the more powerful.
A contest was proposed.
A man was walking down the road. The one who could remove his coat would show that he was mightier.
North Wind went first. He thought he could easily send the coat flapping off in the gale, but the harder he blew the tighter the man clutched his coat to protect himself from the icy blast.
Then the Sun took his turn. Gradually, without any obvious show of power Sun just beamed his warmth on the traveler. Soon the man's coat was slung over his shoulder as he continued on his way.
The greatest force I've seen in the missionary arsenal is the one expressed in a verse we teach preschoolers: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
|
No comments:
Post a Comment