It’s missions month at church and I felt inspired to write about a touching epistle Jesus told His disciples while sitting at the Mount of Olives as they inquired about the signs of the times and the end of the age.
Jesus shared many parables that day warning unprepared and unfruitful believers of grave judgment upon His second coming. In the story of the sheep and the goats, Christ focuses His attention on all the nations of the earth.
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” (Matthew 25:31-46)
Just as previously displayed in the parable of the Virgins and the parable of the Talents, in this story Jesus clearly states that the punishment to the unrighteous will be severe and eternal. He also informs faithful servants that their reward has been planned since the dawn of time.
Since believing in Jesus Christ on it’s own may prove insufficient, Christians must prepare themselves for the second coming any way possible. God’s mission for our lives often involves missionary work. By definition, the word missionary means “somebody doing church work abroad or, somebody sent to another country by a church to spread its faith or to do social and medical work”. Though this definition may be true, it does not include an important part of service in local mission work.
As God’s servants, we’re either missionaries or part of the mission field. As a faithful missionary, we are commanded to share the gospel and invite others to step into God’s light. Through repentance of sin and acceptance of Christ as Lord and savior, all believers are handed out at least one Talent (see Parable of Talents in archived messages). I pray if you are already a believer that you do not get caught burying your Talent into the ground and suffer the eternal consequences upon Jesus’ return.
Not sure if you’re a sheep or a goat? Have you ever been mistaken for Jesus? Are people praising God for the works of your hands? If so, then I invite you to continue serving the Lord with all your heart. If you have no works to show for or have buried your God given Talents, it’s time you dig them out and go to work for God.
As believers we are called to shine so bright that the whole world will feel the warmth that comes from the holy spirit that lives within us. Are you spreading God’s light following in Jesus’ footsteps or is your lamp hidden under a table? The bible reads “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead he puts it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light.” (Luke 11:33)
If you are not already involved in mission work, simply read the epistle above again and you will see that in deed all around us, there are hungry people waiting to be fed, children thirsty for a drink of water, strangers that need a home or a job, poor in need of clothes and even imprisoned that could use mentoring. There are also sick and elderly folks that require care. Atop this extensive list, there is a mission field that needs to be sowed and harvested.
Be a missionary! Serve the Lord your God with all He’s given you. Faithfully put your Talents to work for God and He will keep His promise. Call on us as your internet ministry to guide you toward a life of service which bears fruit beyond this life.
Let’s pray.
Father God;
We thank you for looking after us
And for inspiring us to be the best we can be,
Thank you for your blessings in our lives
And for allowing us to follow your plan for us.
Lord we pray that you will allow us serve you
And guide us to follow in your footsteps
Trusting that you know what’s best for us
In this life and the next.
God we thank you for your forgiveness in our sins
And your understanding in our weaknesses,
Please look after us in the days ahead
And also our families, our friends and those in need.
God we thank you for all that surrounds us!
Praise God,
Amen!
This message was written by Daniel St.Pierre
Email: DanielStPierre@ThriveThroughChrist.com
