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.

Loving people. I used to think that missionaries should maximize efficiency by reaching out to the greatest number of people in the shortest amount of time. However, I remind myself daily to see people not as a means to a goal, but as dear friends needing to hear the gospel in its fullness. People can easily tell if you see them as true friends or mere statistics. We now try to be more intentional in our relationships by investing our time and prayers into the lives of those we care about. We thank God that this paradigm shift on our part has resulted in many spiritual conversations and several one-to-one Bible studies with our Japanese friends. Loving others as we love ourselves changes the way we view our work.

I wonder if my observations would be helpful to busy professionals in Singapore. In our relentless pursuit of well-intended goals, we sometimes miss out on what is most important. In my past experience, whenever I become too busy with work (Great Commission), my relationship with God and with others (Great Commandment) suffers as a result. Has that been your experience as well? Are we results-driven or relationships-motivated?

Wherever we are placed and whatever we do, our love for God and for people leads to God’s fulfilment of His purposes on earth. Choose what is better, and it will not be taken away from you (Luke 10:42, NIV). Let us then take hold of what is truly important in life (1 Timothy 6:19).

Daniel doing bible study with a local

Joylyn teaching in a Kids’ event