Missionary Or Missing Christians At Our Lord's Return

By Ray Brubaker

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An article in a French Communist newspaper (Paix and Liberte') finds the writer declaring: "The Gospel is a much more powerful weapon for the renewal of society than is our Marxist philosophy. All the same, it is we who will finally beat you. We are only a handful, and you Christians are numbered by the millions. But if you remember the story of Gideon and his three hundred companions, you will understand why I am right. We communists do not play with words. We are realists and seeing that we are determined to achieve our object, we know how to obtain the means. Of our salaries and wages we keep only what is strictly necessary; and we give the rest for propaganda purposes. To this propaganda we also consecrate all Our free time and part of our holidays. You, however, give only a little time and hardly any money for the spreading of the Gospel of Christ!"

This communist writer concludes this article by asking: "How can anyone believe in the supreme value of this Gospel if you do not practice it, if you do not spread it, and if you sacrifice neither time nor money for it?"

As David Livingstone once said: "I will place no value on anything I have, or may possess, except in relation to the Kingdom .... If anything will advance the interests of that Kingdom, it shall be given away, or kept, only as by giving or keeping of it I shall most promote the glory of Him to whom I owe all my hopes for time and eternity."

Beloved, if we truly loved Jesus, would we concentrate on ourselves, building nicer homes and lovelier church dwellings, or would we not seek to use every available means and method to send the Gospel to the ends of the earth, sharing our earthly possessions as well? For that is old-time Bible salvation.

You will remember how that when John the Baptist urged the people to repent, they demanded of him, "What shall we do?" Hear this fiery Baptist preacher as he urges sacrifice - even the surrender of one's goods, saying: "He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise."

Who would ever link denying ourselves of a needed garment or of necessary food to that of repentance?

Oh, that we in our day who have become so soft, so smug, so self-satisfied would repent and discover the life of sacrifice, surrender, self-denial, and service!

Jesus said: "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself..." This isn't popular preaching, but it is needed preaching. particularly, in view of our Lord's soon return is there much in the Scriptures to indicate that according as to how we invest our money we can be READY or NOT READY for His coming.

That's right. Our Lord relates the parable of a man journeying into a far country, but who entrusts to his servants talents according to their several abilities.

We think of talents as representing our ability to sing, or teach a Sunday School class, but here in the parable it represents MONEY. On the basis of how each servant invests his lord's money entrusted to him; he is rewarded accordingly. That servant who hid his lord's money- who buried it in the earth - who failed to invest it in his lord's work, he is told:

"Thou wicked and slothful servant...thou oughtest to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury." And, the unprofitable servant is cast out into outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. On the other hand, that servant who invested wisely the money entrusted to his care was commended by his lord, who said: "Well done, thou good and faithful servant .... thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things."

Ah, beloved, that speaks to my heart today. We have only one life, 'twill soon be past; only what's done for Christ will last!

The Apostle James calls attention to those, who in the last days heap up treasure, saying: ,'Weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you." Stocks and bonds, bank accounts, social security, insurance will mean nothing in the day when Antichrist and his ruthless armies reign over the earth. May God help us to invest in souls while there is still opportunity.

Returning to this matter of stewardship discussed today, we see where the servant in Matthew 25:18 "digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money" rather than invest his talents. He was cast into the outer darkness of tribulation and called an unprofitable servant.

Whereas, the profitable and faithful servants were told: "Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."

So, this matter of stewardship is absolutely important. It is worthy of the believer's highest consideration. Remember, to be faithful in giving is to hear his "Well done."

I believe Jesus is coming soon...and He is going to reckon with His servants.

No less an authority than Dr. A. J. Gordon has said: "I warn you, it will go hard with you when our Lord comes, if He finds your wealth hoarded up in needless accumulations instead of being sacredly devoted to giving the Gospel to the lost."

Continues this saint of God: "He who is not a missionary Christian will be a missing Christian when the great day comes of bestowing the rewards of service." Did you hear it?

I wonder, how strong is our love for Christ today? Isn't there something that stirs our heart and makes us want to show our love for Christ by sharing with others?

Jesus said concerning those who fed and clothed those of his brethren who were hungry and naked: "Verily, I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it to one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

Today, may we heed the call of God.

Let us follow the example of the Corinthians of whom we read they first gave themselves to Christ, and then gave of their substance to Him.

The Lord doesn't force us to give against our will but does remind us: "He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall also reap bountifully. GOD LOVETH A CHEERFUL GIVER." (2 Cor. 8:5&9:6-7)

"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over," said Jesus. So may we give, and "Indeed, be ye ready also, for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of man cometh."