What is Missions Monday?

As the Missions Team, we (the Miersmas and the Graigs) hope to serve our class in sustaining a measure of attention and due appreciation of God’s plan to see his gospel proclaimed among all the different peoples of the earth through the ministry of his Word and his Spirit to the praise of his glory.

One way we hope to encourage you in this is by highlighting one (or more) of the following every Monday here at the Wellum’s Couples’ blog:

1. Pointing to Scripture as the source for all things missions
2. Offering prayer requests in a missions-conscious way
3. Informing you about God’s people and work around the world
4. Incorporating testimony from those involved in the missions effort
5. Recapping whatever was addressed on a Missions Sunday (last Sunday of each month)

In case you weren’t there, yesterday was one of those days! Nick had us look briefly in Psalm 67 at God’s global plan, touching then on ways that we as Christians could think and pray in light of what we read/see in the headlines/the daily news. Essentially, believers should not be calloused or worried about the strife and suffering in the world, but consider both the greater severity of the coming judgment upon those who reject God and his mediator Christ (the imprecatory psalms hit this) as well as the immeasurable riches of his grace as God demonstrated his love to the rebellious world by sending his Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty for sins on our behalf. These two truths should move us to pray earnestly and frequently for God’s message/messengers of salvation and reconciliation to go forth that all the different peoples of the earth might come to God and worship Him!

In an attempt to apply this idea on Missions Monday, let’s focus our attention on an article I found at CNN.com entitled Pakistan suspends offensive for Ramadan.

What is Ramadan?

Today marks the first day of the month-long Muslim religious observance called Ramadan. Over the next 30 days all good muslims all over the world will fast from food and drink (as well as a selection of other things) during daylight hours. Fasting, one of the five Pillars of the Islamic faith, demonstrates obedience and causes Muslims to remember the qualities of Allah. Because of the spiritual dimension to fasting, many Muslims spend more time in prayer, reading the Koran/Qur’an, doing good to those less fortunate and making more visits to the mosque. They believe that adherence to this Pillar (as well as the other four: reciting their profession of faith, praying five times a day facing Mecca, obligatory and voluntary giving to the poor, and making a once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage to Mecca) increases their piety and ultimately earns atonement for their sins as they plead with Allah for mercy. Their salvation is dependent on their acts of holiness!

How should we respond to this most venerated and blessed month of the Islamic year?

1. Learn a little more about Islam, specifically Ramadan! That way if you encounter someone of the Muslim faith over the next month, you would have an understanding about their faith, be able to relate to them during this special time of year, and perhaps share the message of hope found only in the gospel of Jesus Christ!

2. We would like to challenge you to pray for Muslims this month. As Muslims around the world meditate on spiritual things, pray that many will come to know the gospel through workers living in their area or through dreams/visions and as a result entrust their lives to Jesus. Don’t know what or how to pray? Don’t worry! Specific prayer for different areas of the Muslim world has already been organized online! Click here to follow a day-by-day prayer guide over the next 30 days, or click here for today’s focus on Tajikistan.

3. And last, spend some time meditating on the beauty of the gospel, Christ in you - the hope of glory! Anticipate Christ’s second coming when all of creation will be restored, sin will no longer have its divisive and destructive effect over the world, Satan will be crushed forever and we will all find unspeakable delight and satisfaction in our Triune God completely! Come, Lord Jesus, come!

~Jennifer Miersma for the Missions Team