"Lighting the Fire"
Jotting – Week 5

Learn What God Wants for His Church

“Then [Jesus] said to His disciples, ‘The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest’" (Matthew 9:37-38). In the very next chapter of Matthew, we read the story of Jesus sending the 12 apostles–laborers as they were–into the towns and villages of Israel, giving them detailed instructions on what they were to do and how they were to accomplish their mission. Take time to read both chapters now: Matthew 9 and 10.

The fields are white for harvest. There are people who sit in darkness and search for the Light; they are hungry and languish for Bread; their souls are empty and they crave fulfillment; their sins cling to them like filthy rags and they ache for washing . They long to be taught by those who have a real knowledge and a real relationship with Jesus Christ. They yearn for a closer walk with their Savior–or to know this Jesus who, till now, they have just heard spoken of carelessly or not at all.

Jesus has commissioned His Church–you and me–to go to the nations and make disciples of them. When we search and know God’s heart: realize that God wants all people to come to repentance and a saving knowledge of Jesus as their Savior; learn to know God through His names; in God’s Word, discover His will for our lives in reaching others and; are willing to be taught by God, then we can look at the bigger picture:

“Learn what your congregation, district, LCMS World Mission and others are doing in mission at home and around the globe, so you can be better informed on how to pray and support missions, and so you can better direct yourself and others in strategic mission involvement” (from Ablaze! Seven Mission Responses).

In which missions are The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod involved? What are we, as a church body, wanting to accomplish in getting the Word to people? One good way to discover the missions is to go to http://www.lcms.org/pages/default.asp?NavID=887 and click on any one of the icons for a search and discovery activity.

LCMS World Missions sends missionaries throughout the world–and throughout this country as well. It has “more than 110 years of experience in foreign mission fields.” Today it works with partner church bodies and emerging church bodies worldwide, with active work being done or having mission relationships in approximately 85 countries.

In foreign mission work, LCMS World Missions seeks to reach people through human care and education ministries, through helping others rediscover their heritage in Christian roots, and in training local people to take over the mission of their own country. They help support and strengthen already established church bodies and where none exists, offer training, and financial and other resources so communities can be reached with the saving news of salvation in Jesus.

On the national level, LCMS World Missions is involved in outreach, church planting, regional work, congregation revitalization, ethnic and specialized ministries, and United States missionary leadership development. Any of these can be researched further by clicking on here: http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=8052 .

One more major area in which LCMS World Missions is involved is ministry to the armed forces. Here, those who are involved in service to their country are looked after, ministered to, prayed for, encouraged, and given resources. To find out more about this mission, click on this web site: http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=1224 .

Choose a country, a mission, a missionary (and family) to focus on for a month. Research the work being done. Discover more about the country and the people in which the mission is taking place.  Find out about the missionary and his/her family. Write an encouraging letter to those who are taking your place in foreign lands. Ask questions, make inquiries about what you or your congregation can do to support the efforts taking place. Above all, pray for the people involved.

Each month, add another mission station, country, or missionary to your list. By the end of a year, you will have extensive knowledge about how God is working overseas or within the borders of our own country. You will be praying for countless people to come to a knowledge of the truth, and you will know what God’s plans are for you as you join hearts and hands with others around this country and beyond to send workers into the harvest.

Pray: Lord of the Harvest, open my eyes to see, my heart to learn, and my understanding to know the work being done for You in other places. Give me a heart that yearns to carry through prayer the needs of missionaries and the longings of those who sit in darkness to your throne of grace. Show me the path you want me to take to encourage and support those who proclaim Your Word of salvation to others in places outside our borders. In the name of Jesus my Savior. Amen.