Wednesday in the Word: Jesus - God's Sent One

The month of November was Missions Month at our church, and on the last Thursday night of the month my husband taught a lesson entitled Jesus - God's Sent One, making the observation that Jesus was actually the first missionary. I've heard him teach this lesson before, but with Christmas coming up, I thought it was fitting for a devotional during this month that we celebrate His birth!

1. Jesus was a missionary.

• He came a foreign land; He left heaven for earth.
• He came to a people who didn't ask for Him to come nor seek Him.
• He lived among the ones He came to reach.
• He told the Message of salvation wherever He went.

2. Jesus identified Himself with the people He came to.

• To win man, He became a man; a Jew to reach the Jews.

3. Jesus took men as He found them.

• He accepted them as He found them, but He didn't leave them as He found them!

4. Jesus, having come to seek men, went to where they were: the streets and houses, cities and villages.

• He went looking for people, not sitting and waiting for them to come to Him.

5. Jesus obeyed the laws of the land, teaching respect and obedience to those in authority.

6. Jesus chose and trained men to help Him and to continue the work after He was gone.

7. Jesus established a native church, the local church at Jerusalem.

8. His ministry was based on faith.

• His followers left everything to follow Him.

9. Jesus made no attempt to reform society, government, or religion, but rather preached the Gospel and let it do the changing.

10. Jesus rendered absolute obedience to the Father's Word and will.