On the day of his commissioning service that would send him out to the Cook Islands, our missionary Chunillal Pema preached a word about commitment, compassion and Christlikeness that was awe-inspired to all who heard it. With his permission, I have summarised it so you too, can be inspired.
“To carry out the call God has placed on your life, you must have three things.
1) A devoted commitment.
This is where we declare that we will lay down our lives and take up the cross. We will serve God with everything we have. When you get a sense of God’s call on your life, it’s strong, clear, and motivating. It’s so clear in your heart, that you have no choice but to listen. We must realise that God has called us as individuals to be part of a larger picture. We sometimes don’t see or understand why God has called us to do certain things, but if we sense the call, we must realise that we are a tiny part of the huge plan God has in motion.
Sometimes life is a struggle. As we go through these struggles, we learn they are used to drive out the old man and bring the new man to life. When God places a call upon your life, there are always things we need to leave behind. You can’t take your baggage with you to the mission field because you’ll pass it onto someone else. You must leave it at the cross. When you begin to fill your life with the things of God and live for Him, that’s Him preparing you for His call.
2) A developing compassion.
There once lived a great man of God who while looking out over the great nation of India prayed, “Lord, would you bring someone who can reach these millions within India with the Gospel? Bring someone great and mighty and powerful, whom you can use to turn this nation upside down with the Gospel”
The Holy Spirit replied, “Son, you’re looking for the one to bring millions to me. I’m looking for the millions who will bring the ones to me” Unless you can help the one person who God has laid on your heart, you’ll never be able to bring millions to Christ.
Many missionaries leave the field because of a misunderstanding that has taken place. New Zealanders can be very quick to get things done and move on. But other cultures can take more time. You’ve got to work with them and understand that their time schedule isn’t the same as yours. You need compassion. You need to understand what God is doing in that culture and in that situation and that it’s not your situation to change. Be aware that you don’t just go there with developed compassion, you go with a love that is developing and growing every day.
3) A deepening Christlikeness
In the book of Ruth, we meet an incredible man by the name of Boaz. Boaz is a man with a strong Christlike character. In Ruth chapter two, Boaz tells Ruth to not go glean in another field but to stay and glean with the women who work for him. Boaz wanted Ruth to have one focus. We must be the same! Focus on your one burden, your one passion.
I recently attended a funeral service of a young Christian boy who passed away in a car accident not too long ago. His Father, who was the last to speak at the service, spoke about his confusion and misunderstanding on how he could have lost his son. But on the way to the funeral, his Father decided to travel down the road that his son died on. As he got to the specific spot of the crash, the Holy Spirit spoke. “This is not the place where your son died. This is the place where your son met Jesus face to face”. When you find yourself in troubled times, they are the situations in which you need to see Christ.
May the Lord increase and may we decrease. I want to be remembered for having Jesus is my life. They might not remember my name, but I want them to remember that I had Jesus in my life.”
Preached by Chunillal Pema. Summarised by Imogen Cook.
Originally written 31 August 2020.
Revised April 2024.
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