## What is a Missionary

## John 20:21

The word comes from the Latin word "mitto" which means ‘to send’. It’s equivalent in the Greek is the word "Apostello" which also means ‘to send’ from which we derive the New Testament word "Apostle" = one who is sent.

Jesus Christ was "the Apostle" according to Heb. 3:1. God sent Him into the world on a mission of redemption, He, in turn, took men who were taught and trained by Him and then sent out to fulfill the Great Commission. And there is a direct connection between His mission and the Great Commission - Jn. 20:21, "...as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you."

A missionary then is one who is sent with a purpose. Tonight, we are going to send out this missionary family with a purpose. Lanny and Patti, I charge you to be:

I. An Ambassador for Christ.

A. Your Sovereign is the Son of God.

1. I know you are American citizens

2. I know you are proud of your country

3. But you have a higher calling - you are Ambassadors for Christ. cf 2Co. 5:20

"Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God."

4. Jesus Christ is:

a. The Head of the church

b. The Lord of history

c. The King of the nations

d. The Judge of all the earth

e. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords and sooner or later all men and nations must come to terms with Him.

"Every knee shall bow...and...every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord." cf Ro. 14:11

B. Your Sovereign Has given you His orders.

1. Go into all the world.

a. You cannot be an effective representative or Ambassador unless you are willing to go.

b. You must be willing to go where your king tells you to go. Ex. Jonah

c. You must remember that no matter where your King may send you - you are still His Ambassador and responsible to obey His instructions.

2. Preach the Gospel to every creature

a. A faithful Ambassador bears the message of his King

b. That message is clear and plain and must be delivered without fear, favor, or flattery. Ro. 10:13

c. It is a message of Urgency - because God now commands all men everywhere to repent, to turn from idolatry to the true and living God, and to acknowledge the living God, and to acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

II. A proclaimer of the Truth!

A. Jesus is the Truth

1. Jn. 14:6, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh to the Father but by me."

2. He promised that as men come to know the truth... the truth will liberate them

3. His kingdom is a kingdom of truth, founded on an understanding of truth, extended by the preaching of truth, and maintained by the practice of truth.

B. You must proclaim it

1. Jesus told his disciples "...what ye hear ... that preach ye upon the housetops." Mt 10:27

2. Before the days of mass commun- ication a town crier would march the length and breadth of the town reading aloud a proclamation for the benefit of the townsfolk.

a. He did not invent or originate the message - He simply proclaimed it!

b. That is your responsibility as Missionaries to China.

c. Not to change the message but simply proclaim it for the benefit of the Chinese people.

III. An Apostle of Love and Compassion

A. Christianity is founded upon love.

1. God so loved that He gave His Son

2. Jesus so loved that He gave Himself.

3. We are instructed in 1 John 3:16 to so love that we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

4. Paul wrote in 1 Co. 13 that love is the supreme virtue which gives value to all others - because without it we are nothing.

5. As Christ is the embodiment of God’s love, so you are to be the embodiment of Christ’s love to the people of China.

B. Christianity is motivated by Compassion

1. Compassion is not pity but rather it is love in action.

2. Jesus, when He beheld the multitude, was moved by compassion to meet their needs.

3. As you view the people to whom God has called you to minister, you must see them through the eyes of Christ looking beyond their faults and seeing their needs.

IV. A Messenger of Peace

A. Jesus is the "Prince of Peace"

1. At His birth the Angels proclaimed, "Peace on earth"

2. In His teachings He advocated peace

3. By His death He achieved peace between God and man.

4. In Col. 1:20 Paul writes that Jesus "made peace through the blood of the cross."

5. Not only has he reconciled God and man, but He has made it possible for man to be at peace with his fellow man - the blood of Christ transcends all barriers.

B. His kingdom is a Kingdom of Peace.

1. Every kingdom known to man has been founded on force and maintained by force.

2. But His is a kingdom of peace and His Gospel is a Gospel of peace.

3. This peace has two dimensions - vertical and horizontal.

4. You as a missionary must carry that Gospel of peace to the people of China.

5. You must call men to be first reconciled to God and then to one another.

What is a missionary?

He is an Ambassador for Christ

He is a proclaimer of Truth

He is an Apostle of love

He is a Messenger of Peace

But then, aren’t all believers supposed to be those things? In reality He is simply a servant of Christ who serves where God leads. He isn’t necessarily more spiritual than other Christians - His reward at the Judgment Seat of Christ will not necessarily be greater than those who serve Christ here. We all will be judged by the same standards, and the same questions will be asked of us all.

1. Do we seek to promote our own glory or the glory of God?

2. Are we motivated by some personal considerations or are we constrained by the love of Christ?

3. Are we trying to serve Him in the energy of the flesh or in the power of the Holy Spirit?

What will our answer be?