Unashamed - We are Called

On this Missionary Annual Day, where we highlight the work of Missionaries within our church, I am considering the words of Jesus, “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.” 

Jesus’ words, a charge for disciples of Christ in and of themselves, take on new meaning when considered alongside the quotation from Samuel Zwermer, “The history of missions is the history of answered prayer.”

Coupled, these words are a reminder that for every act of service, whether within or beyond the walls of the church, what we do is serving Jesus. These words also remind us that every disciple is called to mission work so that people in need can experience the power of a God who loves them, cares for them, and provides for them. 

How would our minds be changed and our hearts be bent towards missions if we recognized that God dispatches you and I to meet a need every time someone in our vicinity cries out to Him in prayer? How would our actions change if we understood our inaction toward human need and suffering--locally and globally--as the difference between someone experiencing the tangible love of God or not? On this Missionary Annual Day, what change will you make to be the answer to someone’s prayers?

Pastor Donna Olivia Owusu-Ansah