FRIDAY July 14, 2023
Qualities of a Missionary
Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.
Acts 14:3
Paul and Barnabas went to Galatia, and remained there a long time. Paul would go into a city and look for a synagogue where he could preach the Gospel of Christ.
A true missionary has to have certain qualities, and one of them must be the ability to preach the Word of God. In the call to be a missionary, you have to prepare yourself before you go to wherever God is sending you. It is necessary to memorize the Scriptures, and to spend time meditating on them. It is also essential to gain knowledge of how the Old Testament and the New Testament fit together like a puzzle. Then you are fully prepared to preach the Word of God as the opportunity arises.
As you step out by faith to preach, the Holy Spirit will bring back to your remembrance everything you have read and studied. As you proclaim the Gospel message, among those who hear you will be people who have an ear to hear what the Spirit is saying. The Lord may bring an audience of ten people, or it could be a thousand! Be faithful to preach to those He brings.
Take into account, not everybody will receive God’s grace. Remember, as Paul and Barnabas went out as missionaries, many of the Jewish leaders resisted leaving their vain traditions. In Iconium, they gave false testimony to the new Gentile converts and tried to poison their minds against Paul and Barnabas. They certainly did not want the Gentiles to be converted.
Yet Paul and Barnabas continued to preach boldly! Missionaries need another quality––the necessity to be bold, and not to be afraid. As you stand by faith in God, He will confirm your ministry by bringing forth the miracles and wonders––just as He did with Paul and Barnabas. Missionaries need the power of God!
The gospel is preached in the ears of all men; it only comes with power to some. The power that is in the gospel does not lie in the eloquence of the preacher otherwise men would be converters of souls.
~C. H. Spurgeon~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!
