(Intro to EvangeLegends: A Series of Missionary Mementos)
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.” Matthew 13:45-46
If a famous millionaire stood on a street corner and started throwing handfuls of dollars around, can you imagine the stir it would create? The press would be there and headlines would cover the story and people would forget everyone around them in their desperation to grab as much cash as they could. There would be viral videos of people trampling one another to get some money.
But very few people have the vision to press through the crowd to lay hold of Jesus, the priceless treasure. Here in America, when a preacher or missionary tells the story of Christ who offered Peter the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, people laugh and mock and walk away. The atheists create billboards about our sadistic God and useless Savior.
Yet missionaries willingly leave the comfort and safety of the American dream to carry the gospel to other nations. Imagine what it would feel like to tell someone about Jesus for the very first time, someone who had never even heard of Him before. At moments like these, the scriptures say that angels celebrate. I sometimes imagine them leaning in to hear every word. The value of Christ is so immense that it captivates the interest of even the supernatural world.
Not only is it amazing to hear about the mystical experiences on the mission field, but also to learn of new people who have clear vision and voices, who sense His glory with fresh tender hearts. They seem to see Jesus more purely than those of us who have sleep in our eyes.
Missionary stories have always moved me, because they light a flame of hope inside of me. As a young student at a Christian college years ago, I hung on every word when a missionary came to chapel services or when any speaker told a story of someone on the mission field; I’ve never been able to forget the stories, even when I forgot the names or places.
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Drifting into the Divine ~♥~ 