God’s Love for Missions
Selected Scriptures
June 2, 2024
John Paton was a missionary to the Hebrides (19th C.). Late in life he recounted the 40-mile walk he took when in his early 20s to go from his home to the train station where he would find transportation to go to seminary to prepare him for the mission field:
My dear father walked with me the first six miles of the way. His counsels and tears and heavenly conversation on that parting journey are fresh in my heart as if it had been but yesterday; and tears are on my cheeks as freely now as then, whenever memory steals me away to the scene. For the last half mile or so we walked on together in almost unbroken silence — my father, as was often his custom, carrying hat in hand, while his long flowing yellow hair (then yellow, but in later years white as snow) streamed like a girl’s down his shoulders. His lips kept moving in silent prayers for me; and his tears fell fast when our eyes met each other in looks for which all speech was vain! We halted on reaching the appointed parting place; he grasped my hand firmly for a minute in silence, and then solemnly and affectionately said: “God bless you, my son! Your father’s God prosper you, and keep you from all evil!”
Unable to say more, his lips kept moving in silent prayer; in tears we embraced, and parted. I ran off as fast as I could; and, when about to turn a corner in the road where he would lose sight of me, I looked back and saw him still standing with head uncovered where I had left him — gazing after me. Waving my hat in adieu, I rounded the corner and out of sight in instant. But my heart was too full and sore to carry me further, so I darted into the side of the road and wept for time. Then, rising up cautiously, I climbed the dike to see if he yet stood where I had left him; and just at that moment I caught a glimpse of him climbing the dike and looking out for me! He did not see me, and after he gazed eagerly in my direction for a while he got down, set his face toward home, and began to return — his head still uncovered, and his heart, I felt sure, still rising in prayers for me. I watched through blinding tears, till his form faded from my gaze; and then, hastening on my way, vowed deeply and oft, by the help of God, to live and act so as never to grieve or dishonor such a father and mother as he had given me. [Piper, Filling Up the Afflictions of Christ, 71-2.]
Why does a young man give up home and family to take the gospel to unreached people? Why do people willingly walk into martyrdom for missions? Why do people sacrifice comfort and peace for those they do not know? Why do we do missions? Why do we take time to train people and invest finances and take risks to take the gospel to places where they have not heard of or believe in Jesus Christ? Because God loves missions. God is a missionary God.
We do missions because God loves missions.
Consider four ways that God demonstrates His love for missions…
- God’s plan has always been redemption
- God’s plan for missions is being worked until His final redemption
- God’s plan for missions is also being worked out until the final condemnation
- God is a missionary God because missions recognizes His glory
- How God is Using GBC in Missions
Download the rest of this sermon on missions.
The audio will be posted on the GBC website by Tuesday.
“A map of the world” by Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the BPL is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Words of Grace 