Scripture: “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.” – Isaiah 6:8
Examination: Isaiah begins this chapter by describing the majesty of God as He is surrounded by worshiping angels. When God asks whom He could send to His people, although Isaiah feels unworthy, he answers the call of God to go.
Application: The boy we know today as St. Patrick grew up in a Christian home in England. His parents were believers, and although Patrick grew up hearing the gospel, he was not. At the age of 16, Patrick was kidnapped, taken to Ireland, and sold into slavery. While serving his master as a shepherd, Patrick began to pray constantly, and eventually, he came to believe in the Lord. After six long years in Ireland, he escaped, walking 200 miles to the coast and taking a boat back to England.
Later, Patrick felt the Lord was calling him to return to Ireland as a missionary. Ireland was a land that worshiped natural things like trees, the sun, and thunder. Being polytheistic, the Druids, the Irish also worshiped their ancestors and many Celtic gods, did not welcome Patrick. He knew the challenges of sharing the gospel to the people of Ireland, but he believed that was what God wanted him to do. So, despite the sufferings and persecutions he endured in Ireland, Patrick continued to share Christ with the people.
Because the people were polytheisiic, believing in many gods, Patrick strove to teach the Irish people that there was only one true God. It is believed that he used the shamrock to explain the concept of the trinity… that God is “three-in-one”… to the people. Just as there are three leaves on a stem, there is only one shamrock. Likewise, the trinity is composed of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, but there is only one God. Through Patrick’s work in Ireland, many people were saved, and many churches were established. Patrick died on March 17, 461, the day we remember as St. Patrick’s Day.
Like Patrick, we are called by God to share the gospel. The world needs to know that Jesus died on the cross, paying the price for our sins, was buried and then rose from the dead 3 days later to become the Saviour of the world. Every person needs to understand the only way for them to get to heaven is through the Lord Jesus Christ. John 14:6 records the Saviour’s words, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” This is the message we must take to a lost and dying world.
Jesus gave us this responsibility in Matthew 28:19-20, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Not only does He command us to share the gospel, the Lord also promises to go with us wherever we may go, so we need not be apprehensive about what to say when sharing Christ. He has promised that His Spirit will give us the words in Luke 12:12, “For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.”
Missionaries are needed everywhere, not just foreign lands. Our mission field is our workplaces, our neighborhoods, family gatherings, etc… wherever we happen to be, and we don’t need the luck of the Irish to win people to Christ. We only need to have a heart for the souls of others, and the willingness to be obedient to the work to which Jesus has called each one of us. God will do the rest!
Memory Verse: “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:” – 1 Peter 3:15
Stretching your thoughts:
1. What are the different ways you could share the gospel with others?
2. What obstacles do you face when it comes to sharing the gospel with others?
It may not be on the mountain’s height or over the stormy sea,
It may not be at the battle’s front, my Lord will have need of me;
But if by a still, small voice He calls to paths I do not know,
I’ll answer, dear Lord, with my hand in Thine, I’ll go where You want me to go.
I’ll go where You want me to go, dear Lord,
O'er mountain or plain or sea;
I’ll say what you want me to say, dear Lord,
I’ll be what You want me to be.
(from “I’ll Go Where You Want Me To Go” by Mary Brown)