Missions is something that we all know is important but just knowing it is important doesn’t always drive us to be active in sharing the gospel with others. David shows us the importance of missions in Ps. 96:1-6. Here, and in many other passages of Scripture, we can see that missions is an important part of the will of God. There are times that He commands missions like in Ps. 96 and also in the Great Commission of Matt. 28:18-20. Then there are other times when the Lord shows that His work over certain events and situations was for the purpose of missions. God has a desire for people of all tribes, tongues, and nations to hear the good news of the gospel and respond to it. Again, these are things that we probably all know and yet “proclaiming the good tidings of His salvation” is either non-existent or very sparse in our day to day lives. We must go beyond just knowing that missions is important if we want to be active in it.
Here is something that we can all relate to. If we go to the dentist regularly then we know that flossing is important but, for the majority of us, just because we know it’s important doesn’t mean that we do it. At every visit we know what’s coming from the dentist. He tells us how important flossing is, he gives us instruction on how to do it properly, and then he even gives us what we need to do it on our own. And what happens when we get home? We don’t do it. At every visit there is also that dreaded moment where the dentist asks, “Have you been flossing?” It’s at that moment that we feel a weight of guilt come upon us. We know we should be doing it. We knew he was going to ask but we didn’t have time, didn’t think about it, or just didn’t care to. There’s a mindset that we have with flossing, “yes, it’s important but really only a special group of people can do it” or “No one can do it every day” or “That’s what the dentist is for! As long as he is doing it then we’re fine.” Now, I know you probably would have never imagined that in your lifetime you’d read missions related to flossing but how different does how we act toward flossing sound from how we act when it comes to sharing the gospel? Sadly, not that different at all! We feel guilt when someone gets up front to talk about it because we know we should be doing it but we’re just not. There are times that we think that missions and sharing the gospel is only for a select group of people or we may even think “That’s what the Pastor is for!” Again, God has called, commanded, and commissioned each of us to missions in some way. We are left here on this earth to make disciples. To deny or neglect is to brush off the will of the One who has made, saved, and sustained you to this day. God desires to include us in what He is doing.
So, what led David to speak the way that he did in Ps. 96:1-6 about missions and sharing the gospel? One answer is that he saw the Lord as His treasure. David proclaims who God is in verses 5-6. He shows us that the idols all around us are nothing and worthless but that God is everything. The idols can do nothing for us but God has made the heavens and the earth. David starts this passage off by talking about singing to the Lord. We sing as an overflow of the heart. It is natural for humans to burst into song as a reflection of how they’re feeling. David is overwhelmed with the Lord so what comes out is a song. Jesus says in Luke 6:45, “The mouth speak from that which fills the heart.” This means that our conversation is a good indicator of what takes center stage in our hearts. What we treasure determines what we talk about. David has determined that the Lord is his treasure and the result is opening his mouth. He sings, proclaims, and tells all that he can of “wonderful deeds” of God. The way God is going to carry out His will for missions on this earth is by us opening our mouths. Let’s not treat missions like flossing by only knowing the importance of it. Let’s pray that God would open our mouths that others would know the treasure of He is as well!
Seeking To Share His Good News, Pastor Rudy