An old missionary told me of a road trip that he and his fellow missionaries went on in a foreign country in the 1960s. Youthful boredom had set in, and they started to ‘show off’ to each other. They began to pass one another while hanging out the windows of their cars, waving and yelling back and forth. He said, “This went on for a few miles, but not to be outdone, one of the guys climbed on to the roof of the car and spread himself out as if he were flying. It was only by the grace of God that no one was killed. We were not missionaries; we were children too far from home.”
I reminded him (not that I had to), that those “children too far from home” became responsible for a lot of souls coming to Christ who wouldn’t have if they had stayed at home.
No one is praising the foolish antics along the way, but the main thing is that they went on their way with the gospel.
“Apostle” means, “one set,” and the apostle Paul was true to his calling. Staying at home was not an option, it was his mission to take the gospel where no man had taken it before.
Speed was of the essence. He only had one lifetime to live, and he was going to spend it planting churches. But he also knew that “it is God who gives the increase,” and that God answers prayer “according to His will.”
So, keen to make sure that whether it is him going or someone else, he appeals to the church in Thessalonica to pray for that which really matters:
“Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you” (2Thess.3:1).
“Send the Light!”
John Staiger
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