Ezekiel 37:21, 28; 39:7
then say to them, Thus says the Lord God:
Behold, I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have
gone, and will gather them from all around, and bring them to their own
land.….Then the nations will know that I am the Lord who sanctifies Israel,
when my sanctuary is in their midst forevermore…. And my holy name I will make
known in the midst of my people Israel, and I will not let my holy name be
profaned anymore. And the nations shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in
Israel.
Mission
Impossible—Ezekiel was sent to proclaim an impossible message.
Impossible—Elijah proclaimed that Yahweh of
Israel was the God of all the earth, despite the fact that his people were
exiled and oppressed, making them wonder if the gods of the Babylonians were
more powerful.
Impossible—Elijah passionately provoked a
longing for the restoration of God’s glory throughout the earth, despite the
fact that Israel had been so consumed with themselves they had profaned God’s
name and glory.
Impossible—Elijah pronounced the promises of
God of a greater restoration and a glorious temple, despite the fact that
Israel had seemingly failed.
New life from a heart of stone, power from the
weak, glory from the shame, a bright future from failure, this was the
impossible message that Elijah proclaimed to all the world.
But God…. But God equipped Ezekiel and prepared
him for the task (Ezek. 3:8-9). God himself would restore
Israel with a new heart and a new passion for his name. Despite the fact that
Yahweh seemed conquered, that all hope appeared lost, that God’s mission for a
holy nation of priests looked thwarted, and that his name was profaned, God is
greater and in fact used this very failure to make his name greater among the
nations.
There may be times too that missionaries feel
like they are given an impossible message. They may face “failure,” whether it
is because of a cultural misunderstanding, a government eviction, lack of
response, etc. Yet, no heart is too hard. No other culture, god, system of
belief, dictator, -ism is greater than God. No failure or seeming lack of fruit
is greater than God. It is often in the very “exiles” and failures that God uses
as the seedbed for something far more glorious, to reach the entire world. Was
it not in the cross, the place where the world and evil seemed to triumph, the
climax of weakness and shame, the crux of evil and hard-heartedness, the most
drastic display of seeming failure that cascaded in a far greater glory? It is
in Christ’s payment that we need have no fear of failure; it is in Christ’s
resurrection and ascension that we need have no fear of lack of fruit. He has
all authority and he will accomplish his mission!
Your Mission
·
Pray that
God will give fruit! (1 Cor. 3:6-7). Pray that he will allow the missionaries to
see the fruit of their effort and to be encouraged.
·
Do you let
failure or fear of failure impede your witness?
Mission Impossible
Made Possible—Field Notes
Nearly 400,000
international missionaries were sent out in 2010. Most were from Brazil, South
Korea, and India. The United States does still send the most missionaries.
But in percentage of
missionaries per million church members, the United States is ranked number 9,
with 614 missionaries per million church members. What is the number one
country? Palestine! They send out the highest percentage of missionaries from
their church members, with 3,401 sent in 2010. Ireland, Malta, and Samoa were
the next.
The United States also
received the most missionaries from other nations in 2010.
No comments:
Post a Comment