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The Living God is a Missionary God

Carol Moerman /Monday, November 1, 2021

 

Thomas* woke from a disturbing dream with a question: “Who is this man?”

In his dream he was about to be attacked by two vicious animals, a cross between ferocious dog and panther, snarling and ready to pounce. He knew he was about to be torn apart when suddenly a man appeared and stood between him and the animals. They immediately began to whine, dropped to the ground with head between their paws. The man turned and looked at Thomas without saying a word. Thomas recounts, “His eyes – they seemed to see right through me. He knew me completely, yet they were filled with such love.” Thomas knew this man was real and set out to find him. And so, Thomas, a Hindu living in India, found Jesus – or did Jesus find him?

A few months later Thomas had another dream. He was walking along a street in a city he didn’t recognize and passed a bookstore with a banner flying at the entrance, its message written in an unknown script. The Lord said, “This is the people I am sending you to with my message of salvation.” The script was one of the Tibetan dialects. Many Tibetan refugees live in Dharamsala, in the foothills of the Himalayas in northeastern India, where the Dali Lama has set up his government in exile. Tibetan Buddhists are among the most resistant to the gospel.

God’s Plan

“Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you,and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you (or ‘through your seed).” -Genesis 3:12

Thomas, like Abraham, heard the call of God to leave his home and family. In both Thomas’ story and Abraham’s, God takes the initiative.

God is the one who calls, who saves, who blesses.

This verse/promise is key to understanding the rest of the Bible.  The Bible is not a random collection of stories about people who had some sort of encounter with God. It is rather the story of God’s redeeming purpose - beginning with Abraham, through the creation of Israel, and ultimately the coming of Jesus, Abraham’s ‘seed’ - revealing his plan to redeem all nations.

How will this plan be implemented?

Through Relationship

First, through relationship.

Just as Abraham was called out of a nation of moon worshippers into intimate, face-to-face relationship with the One True God, Thomas was called out of Hinduism, a religion with 2 million gods, through a face-to-face encounter with Jesus.

God’s blessing is poured out in our lives as we respond to his initiative to be in relationship with Him.

Through Obedience

Second, through obedience.

God is a missionary God and calls us to be on mission with Him. We are to reflect his heart for people to be brought back into face-to-face relationship with him.

As Abraham was on the move he spread the knowledge of God’s character – a God of grace, mercy, justice, liberating power, steadfast love, and faithfulness - to surrounding nations.

Thomas obeyed God’s call to go to Dharmsala to live among Tibetan exiles and share God’s character, revealed through our Lord Jesus Christ, that they might fall in love with Him and worship Him.

God not only saves us, He transforms us into worshippers!

What is your place?

By you and your descendants, all the nations of the world will be blessed. We are the descendants of Abraham if we are people of faith (Gal 3:29).

What is your place in blessing the nations?

How will you engage with God in his mission?

Your efforts, combined with God’s miraculous life-giving power, will result in people from every nation, tribe and language finding salvation, gathering in worship around His throne!

*A pseudonym

Carol Moerman serves on the Simply Mobilizing National Coordination Team as the BC Coordinator for the Kairos Course. She also serves on the Global Church Planting Network Facilitation Team, helping with prayer mobilization, communication and event coordination. If Carol had a free afternoon, you would likely find her tending her garden or playing with one of her grandchildren.

 

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