Christmas reminds us that God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten Son to carry out the work of redemption; but at the same time, also reminds us that by sending his only Son, God has furthermore given us an example to follow: which in essence is the same as the command given by Christ, “As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you” (John 20:21, KJV*). Let us once again be reminded by this Christmas that we need to be more zealous for the work of missions in order to follow the example of our Father and to glorify him.

1. Missions Motivated by Love

It was because of the love for us that God sent his only begotten Son to us, just as it is written, “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him” (I John

4:9). Without love there is no missions. Likewise, missions which is not motivated by true love is therefore only missions with a facade and with no true content. The deeper the love, the heavier the burden for missions; the bigger the love, the costlier missions becomes (John 3:16).

In other words, the various degrees of concern toward missions reflect the love we have toward God and the condition of our spiritual life.

2. Missions Moved by Prayer

Prayer is the prime mover by which missions receives its power: before Jesus chose his twelve disciples (missionaries), he prayed all night; when he saw that there was a need for more workers for the lost, he taught his disciples to pray; and in the “High Priestly Prayer,” he prayed especially for his disciples (missionaries). Even before the Ascension, Jesus commanded his disciples to wait and pray, so that they will receive power to spread the Gospel to the whole world. Prayer is indeed the prime mover in missions, and therefore the more we pray the more power we will have for missions.

3. Missions Manned by Workers

In order to save the world, God sent his only begotten Son.

Besides dying on the Cross for our sins, Christ also came to train and prepare his twelve disciples to be missionaries to establish his churches on earth. This is missions centered on workers. Christ did not leave behind wealth or theoretical treaties for missions, but twelve disciples whom he had trained and prepared for three years. This is manifested once again in his “High Priestly Prayer” when he said, “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do’ (John 17:4) – not meaning his appointed death on the Cross but the training of the Twelve. The Antioch Church, as mentioned in Acts, was a typical mission-oriented church, for they sent out their best workers, namely Paul and Barnabas. Likewise, the church today should send out their best workers in order to complete the Great Commission.

4. Missions Maintained by Sacrifices

God’s mission was to send us His only beloved, begotten Son. When Christ came, he also gave his best to God laying down all his earthly possessions and even his own life for our redemption, The apostle Paul was mightily used by God because he sacrificed much for Him also, which included the privilege of taking a wife, of being supported as a full-time minister. He was making tents while preaching the Gospel to support himself. He even said, “I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace (Acts 20:24).

There must be sacrifices made in order to do the work of missions, for God has already paid the highest price for it.

Just as Paul said, “We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me” (Colossians 1:28-29).

Conclusion

In this joyous Christmas season, let all God’s people celebrate the Incarnation by remembering the millions of those who do not yet know him, those who are still waiting for us to share with them the Gospel. Christmas does not only remind us that God sent his only begotten Son to us, but reminds us as well that the Father has also sent us just as he had sent his Son.

*Unless otherwise notated, all scripture quotations are from the New International Version.

原載於《建道通訊》70期，1987年12月，頁5。