Monday, November 11, 2024

           John 17 is often called the “high priestly prayer of Jesus.”  He prayed for Himself, His disciples and all believers.  That last petition means that Jesus prayed for us!  Yes, before His arrest and crucifixion, Jesus prayed for believers today.  We have been prayed for by Christ!  If that news does not make your Monday special, then not much else will.  As you go about the activities of this day, remember that the Lord prayed for you and be encouraged by that good news!
            Jesus prayed these words, “As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world” (John 17:18).  Our Lord did send His disciples into the world to tell the good news about Him and to offer the gifts of forgiveness, grace, hope and salvation to all who would believe in and respond to Him.  The work of the Holy Spirit through the apostles is preserved for us in the book of Acts and the New Testament letters.  But the sending did not end with the first century.  We are still sent today.  Christ has sent us to be His voices and witnesses to a world that still needs the good news of forgiveness, grace, hope and salvation.  We have been sent.  The only question is whether we will report to duty or be found AWOL by our Lord.
            Most of the time, we are sent to the places where we are already frequently going and the places we know best.  We can share the good news of Jesus with family members, friends, co-workers, next-door neighbors and folks who often cross paths with us.  However, we can easily be called to go somewhere different.  God still calls ordinary men and women to serve Him as missionaries to different cultures, countries and cities.  We pray for missionaries as they bear witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ.  But, in addition to praying for missionaries and missions, have you ever wondered if God might be calling or leading you to serve in a missions role? 
            We are called to live a “sent life.”  For some, that life is lived out where they are.  But God often taps and raises up others to be sent to a different place.  If being a career missionary is not a calling that you believe God has placed in your life, then perhaps He has called you to a series of short-term missions experiences.  Perhaps He has placed in you a call to serve several times a year in very specific and very short durations.  There is a hunger for the gospel across the world today.  Jesus is the bread of life and living water.  He is the ONLY one who can satisfy the spiritual hunger and thirst that so many are facing today.
            John 17 shows us that just before going to the cross, Jesus was already praying for the sending out of His witnesses and disciples who would be entrusted with the life-changing gospel.  We are believers today because someone in that chain of witnesses shared the gospel with us.  May we keep the chain going.  There is someone who can come to know Christ through you and me and because of the faithful witness that we bear to Him.  May we be faithful to the task and worthy of the opportunities given to us.        
            Pray for the people who live near you or work with you.  How different would your street or workplace look if you made a commitment to pray for the people who are physically and spatially close to you?  It is not far-fetched to think that the Lord might well open doors for you to be a witness in response to your prayers for neighbors and co-workers.  Let’s live today as people who are sent—people with an urgent mission to make the gospel of Jesus Christ known to others.  As we often sing, “though millions have come, there’s still room for one.”  Who is the “one” that the Lord has sent you to reach?  Who is the “one person” with whom you can share the gospel of forgiveness, grace, hope and salvation?  Remember you can share our worship any time at YouTube.com/FirstBaptistKannapolis.  Have a great Monday!