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| Pic. Credit sxc.hu / svilen001 |
Usually
when a person considers a career, a profession or a job, he asks: what will it
pay? How much will my pay be? The foreign missionary is one of the best
paid, that is, one of the most highly rewarded people in the whole world. And then, too he will have a wonderful reward
in the future.
Now
let us think for a moment about the missionary’s present reward. The missionary has first of all the sense
that he is participating in God’s world plan.
Jesus said that the Scriptures teach that “repentance and remission of
sins should be preached in his name among all nations” (Luke 24:47). Now that is God’s plan, and the missionary
has the sense of participating in it.
Secondly,
the missionary has the experience of seeing the dynamic power of the gospel
doing its work. The Apostle Paul was sent to open the eyes of the heathen. The missionary is rewarded by seeing the
power of the gospel turn men from darkness to light, from the power of satan to
the kingdom of Jesus Christ.
Then
in the third place, the missionary has the thrill of sharing a message of hope
with multitudes of people who are otherwise hopeless. Have you ever been able to do this—share a
message of hope to somebody who had absolutely no hope apart from what you told
him? Well, you see, that’s a big reward.
And
then in the fourth place, the missionary sees the joy of salvation bubbling from
the lives of people who were formerly slaves of sin, of superstitions and of
fear. This has been my joy as I have
preached true gospel to foreign countries.
Some missionaries have seen whole tribes turn to Christ and become
transformed.
Now
as to future rewards, the Bible says that “he that goeth forth and weepeth,
bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his
sheaves with him” (Ps. 126:6). And the
Apostle Paul, writing to the Christians at Thessalonica, said, “What is our
hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our
Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?”(1 Thess. 2:19). In other words, his very crown and joy, his
future reward, would be the souls that he had won to Christ in his missionary
labors.
In a
letter to Timothy, Paul said, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my
course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness,
which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day” (II Tim. 4:7, 8). That is the reward of every faithful
missionary.
by G Christian Weiss
