COMMISSION OR COMMANDMENT?
by Daniel Lau Chee Seng
What do you think is the most significant scripture for a missionary? Christians would say it’s the Great Commission. Matthew 28:19-20, the call to make disciples of all nations inspire many of us to crosscultural missions. This scripture has also set me on my journey to serve in Japan where only 1% of the population is Christian. This is the place where God, by His strength and grace, has sustained my family for several years now.
In our relentless pursuit of well-intended goals, we sometimes miss out on what is most important….Are we results-driven or relationships-motivated? However, I recently realized that the most significant scripture for a missionary (or any Christian for that matter) should be the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37-40). First, the commandment precedes the commission. Second, the command to love God and others affects our service to the Lord. If Great Commission is the ‘what’, the Great Commandment would be the ‘how’. Loving God. This means having ample time to cultivate a personal and authentic relationship with God. It means abiding and resting in Christ, thus bearing fruit such as joy, peace and patience (John 15:5). In OMF Japan, we have had tens of missionaries who suffered from ministry burnout. Similarly, I feel overwhelmed at times by the enormous task of reaching out to people in Hanamaki, a rural town that is largely unresponsive to the gospel. I am still learning to get out of this sinking feeling by placing my focus solely on Christ, and not on my surroundings (Matthew 14:30). When we put God first in our lives, we also draw from Him the spiritual resources needed to do His work. 21
