Ambassadors for Christ
Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:20)
In the past few weeks, we have been specially blessed to have three of our missionaries visit with us. We rejoice that we are able to have some part in these works in different countries of the world and to see the many souls that are won to Christ through our tithes and offerings. As our missionary Wilson Maungo departed after the Sunday evening service, he remarked how grateful he was for the support given by our church. His comment was that our mission dollars enable him to do his work and without it the many different ministries he conducts would not be possible. He labors for the Lord in East Africa where even one dollar can make a difference in a person’s life. The average income for those he ministers to is one dollar per day. The school teachers in his ministry that conduct classes for orphans and others receive a wage between $40 and $60 per month. Most of them cannot afford a study Bible because the cost is about $80. Bro. Wilson cannot afford to buy Bibles for them and neither is he able to afford books and commentaries to help him train teachers and pastors or to aid him in his own studies.
As Pastor Wilson discussed this with me, I was burdened to help him with resources. With the materials I have and with the help of some of the other members, we were able to put about 14,000 electronic books on his laptop computer. I also installed text files that enable him to print copies of the King James Bible. It was truly rewarding to see how excited he was to have these resources. He remarked that God may have brought him to this country just to receive these materials. The church also gave a generous offering to help cover the expenses of his travels to the USA.
I thought about his comment that he could not do his ministry without our support. He is such a humble man that he gave credit for his ministry to churches in this country. From one angle this is certainly true; however, ten times the mission dollars that are sent would do no good unless there is someone on the ground that is willing to do the work. This is something all of us need to remember and take to heart. We cannot give money alone to his ministry or even to ours. We have to be willing to do the work. We need to ask ourselves, “Are we willing to work? Are we willing to give not only money but ourselves to Christ?” This is what it takes to have a healthy, vibrant church. Every member must be a minister. As Pastor Wilson so aptly put it in his Sunday morning message, we are ambassadors for Christ. I pray God that it would be so!
Pastor V. Mark Smith