Chapter six of the book of Galatians is full of great admonitions for the church. Verse one tells us the kind of attitude we should have in our approach to a Christian brother who has messed up. Verse two tells us to bear one another’s burdens. Verse three - be humble. Verse four - do your best. Verse five - take responsibility for your own actions. Verse six - if your spiritual needs are being met, then share good things with your leaders. Verses seven & eight - remember that you will always reap what you sow. Verse nine—stick with it, don’t lower your intensity in serving God.
And then verse ten - when God gives an epoch of time for ministry, take advantage of it. Do good unto all men. Do things that benefit all men. When the door of opportunity is opened for us to bless others, then we must go through it. This is especially true when we have an opportunity to be a blessing to God’s people (the household of faith).
Verse ten can be applied in a very special way to missions. When we have an opportunity to be a blessing and benefit to people around the world, let’s take it; especially when it comes to taking care of our missionaries. When we prioritize our giving, let’s not forget our own.
We have a social responsibility to win the lost, but let’s not forget our special responsibility to take care of our missionaries. Do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
As a church that desires to fulfill the Great Commission, we need to understand two key lessons from verse 10:
1. We must do our best in reaching the lost around the world. (Do good unto all men) 2. The priority for our missions’ budget ought to be supporting our own missionaries. (especially unto them who are of the household of faith.)
During our missions conference, let’s pray that we would learn to do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
Craig Scott, Senior Pastor Woodside Baptist Church |