Let's pretend for a moment.
We are members of the Lord's church in Antioch. We are showing some signs of growth in godliness and in numbers. We have some excellent teachers among us, we need them--here at home. But the Holy Spirit says, "Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them." "We can't afford it" some one cries, "We need them at home," comes the cry. "I know those Europeans, they'll sell their soul for Hershey bar. The whole mess of em are not worth one man." But Barnabas and Paul had the blessing of the majority--God--and they went.
Here are two questions: Did that missionary journey help or hurt Antioch? Their name, was it helped or hurt? Outside of Jerusalem (which was also a missionary church) who can you name that was more blessed of God? Is the name "Antioch" a blessing after 2000 years? Antioch had the rare and unparalleled privilege of being the host and backer of three missionary journeys. The other question I want to ask is simply this, don't run away from it--face it, WHERE WOULD I BE TODAY IF PAUL AND BARNABAS AND SILAS AND OTHERS HAD NOT BEEN SENT TO THE GENTILE? The plain fact is this, brother, you would be an idol worshipper! You would be in the shape of the Hindu today. To accept the grace of God, to accept the gospel of God with the attitude "I was worth it all, but the Hindu is worth none of it" is to be sub-Christian. Beware, if you are against missionary enterprizes, you have become as the dead sea, taking in the fresh, life-giving water, and keeping it, turning it to brine, and dying in the process. The missionary has to die before he goes. He has to settle that ahead of time. Do not be surprised, then, at what other prices he is willing to pay...The Bible says that "One soul is worth more than the whole world." The question reduces itself to this: DO WE BELIEVE THE BIBLE? B.L.
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