““13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!””
““18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.””
When I was growing up, even with no knowledge of the things of God, I admired missionaries, especially those who came all the way from the Western world to Africa. In fact, I still admire them today as it takes a lot of risk to be a missionary in another community in which one has never been there and understands the culture. Some lost their lives to illnesses such as malaria, typhoid, cholera, etc, and other sicknesses. The stories of missionaries have not changed all over the world. Can you imagine the risk involved in leaving behind your rich environment in which you basically lack nothing to transition to a village where there is no electricity and running water? These are some of the consequences faced by missionaries. One will ask, what will convince a person to take such a risk? Normally, people will take such a risk if there are some physical benefits, such as monetary benefits. If you can imagine what it was like for Jesus to die for man, then you will have some understanding of why a person will travel to a place for the sake of the gospel without monetary rewards.
According to Romans 10:13-15 above, anyone, irrespective of where they live or who they are, will be saved if they call on the name of the Lord. This is interesting because you cannot call on a name for the sake of it without any convincing evidence of the name that you believe in it. For one to believe in a name, somebody must be ready to explain it to them. Who then will explain? Who is ready to take the time to explain the need for the name and the understanding of calling that name? This is who the missionary is: someone who says to the Lord, send me, and I will go to that village. It does not matter what it will take. Those people in that village need to have access to God. They need to hear, mixed with faith, to believe, repent, open their mouths to confess Jesus, and take a step to walk with him daily through the power of the Holy Spirit. Missionaries take risks because they understand that Jesus’s return is tied to the gospel being preached to the ends of the earth. It can be selfish when one enjoys salvation, but others are not given the same opportunity to decide.
Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”
Missionaries are called by God to accomplish 2 Corinthians 5:18-21, ambassadors for the Kingdom of heaven, ensuring that what God would have physically done, missionaries are doing it through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Apostles were missionaries to the nations. Missionaries are involved in church planting, evangelism, discipleship, education, encouraging, and helping the church and its communities in the areas of need.
Prayer Points
According to Romans 10:13-15, people cannot hear the word of God if there is no one to teach them. Pray that God will grant grace to the church to continue answering the call to the mission fields
Nehemiah 2:7-8 “7 I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphratesso that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? 8 And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the royal park, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?” And because the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests.”
2. Nehemiah found favor with God and man; thus, everything needed to build the walls of Jerusalem was made available. Pray that God’s favor will rest upon the missionaries and open doors for all their needs to be met: financial, material, protection, and spiritual needs.
Deuteronomy 31:6: “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
Isaiah 41:10: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
3. Pray that missionaries will be encouraged to know that they are never alone. They can count on God for daily protection, help and strength.
2 Samuel 22:3-7 “3 my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior from violent people you save me. 4 I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and have been saved from my enemies. 5 The waves of death swirled about me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. 6 The cords of the grave coiled around me the snares of death confronted me. 7 In my distress I called to the Lord; I called out to my God. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came to ears.”
4. Pray that missionaries be protected from any form of harm. David knew who his God was; he listed some of the things about God to remind himself. He called on God, and he heard his cry and delivered him from his enemies. Pray that every missionary will build strength in the word to stand on the promises of God, knowing that the Grace of God cannot fail.
Isaiah 54:17: “No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, declares the Lord.”
5. For a while now, we have heard stories upon stories about how missionaries are being attacked physically and spiritually. The word of the Lord has not changed. Bring this word before God and remind him. No weapon means NONE, irrespective of who, when, where, or what.
Isaiah 66:19 : “I will set a sign among them, and I will send some of those who survive to the nations—to Tarshish, to the Libyans and Lydians (famous as archers), to Tubal and Greece, and to the distant islands that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory among the nations.”
6. Pray the Holy Spirit will work in the hearts and minds of people to set them apart and send them to the nations and places where the gospel has not reached. Pray that as the gospel enters such places, the glory of God will make his expression in the lives of people.
Psalm 96:1-3 “1 Oh, sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth! 2 Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. 3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!”
7. Pray that God will put a new song in months of his people as they are told of the Lord’s salvation, as well as open their hearts to accept salvation. Pray that his glory be seen through the manifestation of marvelous works in the lives of people in the mission field.
“Luke 10: 1-2 “1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. 2 And he said to them, The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
8. Pray that the church never shies away from its responsibilities of sending missionaries into the fields. Pray that God will select and send them.
Acts 13:47: “For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.”
9. God has made the church a light unto the nations to shine froth upon every darkness. Therefore, the church has a responsibility to send forth representatives to the nations. Pray that the church will arise on this assignment. Some churches do not have missionaries.
John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
1 John 4:16: “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”
10. Pray that the love of Christ will continue to grow in the church so that the church is able to demonstrate that love by desiring missions as well as sponsoring and sending missionaries out to the nations.
Proverbs 14:33: “Wisdom rests in the heart of a man of understanding, but it makes itself known even in the midst of fools.”
11. Pray for wisdom and understanding in the mission fields. Sometimes, missionaries are met with unexpected issues that heaven has to speak to help them bring solutions to the communities.
Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
12. Pray that missionaries will engage in the word daily so that they are equipped and prepared to share and teach them.
Mathew 4: 4 “But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
Luke 12:28: “But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
13. Pray that as the word is preached, the communities will come to the understanding that they cannot live without the word of God. Pray that as they open their hearts to the word, they will keep it and apply it to their daily lives.
Colossians 3:18 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
14. Pray that the word of God will dwell in them and compel them to do well and also encourage others.