“The light that shines farthest shines brightest near home.” – C.T.Studd
Studd’s quote has often been discussed among missionaries of all types. How true it is. He captures the essence of the missionary endeavor or enterprise which can be applied on multiple levels.
— The church who sends and supports missionaries should passionately share and spread the Gospel locally.
— The missionary who seeks to go near and far to share and spread the Gospel should carefully manage his or her own testimony and household.
This of course applies to each one of us who follow Christ as well.
Jesus Is the Light
As Jesus described Himself, He said, ““I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12).
John, one of Jesus’ closest friends while on earth, wrote about Jesus, “In Him [Jesus] was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it” (John 1:4-5).
We recognize in these verses both that Jesus is the light of the world and that His light shines into the darkness, which in this sense relates to the world. The darkness is the opposite of the light both in nature and throughout the Bible. Related to God, John relates to this again later, “…God is light and in Him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).
We Are the Light
Related to those who follow Jesus, the Bible also speaks clearly. If you follow Jesus, you walk in and have His light. As such, Jesus’ accomplishment of sharing the light becomes our goal and hopefully accomplishment as well. As Jesus’ light shines in and on us, we are to let His light shine through us.
Jesus taught:
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16)
In this sense, Jesus extends the light metaphor and describes us as the light of the world. As those who follow Jesus, we manifest His light through our lives such that the people of the world sees it. How? Through our good works which glorify God.
The Light that Shines Brightest
As C.T. Stodd said, “The light that shines farthest shines brightest at home.”
In this quote he reminds us that if we hope for our light to penetrate the darkness, then it is necessary for our light to be bright at home. Again, we come full circle. Where is home? In its common application as used generally, there are three answers.
If you discuss a church, home relates to the corporate work of the church in a local community with the Gospel.
If you discuss a missionary, home relates to the way he or she lives. This is closest to the next category.
If you discuss a typical follower of Jesus, home relates to the way he or she lives as well. We all receive a challenge at this level.
The challenge: how do you live? Do you walk in the light as Jesus is in the light? Or, do you tend to walk in darkness, which refers to living a life that does not represent Christ well or honor Him because of sin. As John wrote, light and darkness do not mix.
If you walk in darkness, then you functionally put your candle or light under a basket rather than on a lamp stand, referring back to what Jesus taught. In another sense, you hide and hinder the light that shines because of your behavior. The light then that shines farthest must first shine brightest at home.
Missionaries and Missionary Training
This week I have enjoyed teaching at a missionary retreat for InterAct Ministries at the Alaska Field Office. The topic of my teaching this week relates to each one’s personal living for Jesus Christ. Why is this important? As we have discussed, it is important because each of them will only shine brightly into the darkness of the world as they reflect the light of Jesus.
What hinders missionaries from reflecting the light of Jesus?
Of course, personal choices where they choose not to honor Christ and sin in one way or another hinder it. However, many times their lights get dimmer as they suffer under great pressures of living away from family and their home church. At other times, churches, friends, or family from home may increase their suffering and indirectly influence their light to be dimmer. Furthermore, they may undergo persecution from those they hope to reach. All of these things and many more provide opportunities to suffer. When undergoing suffering, a missionary may allow those things to hinder Christ’s light from shining brightly through them.
For these reasons and others, I am teaching them this week seeking to encourage them in the Lord.
They need it just as we.
What Can You Do?
Related to our light shining brightly at home and abroad, there are several things you can do.
- Pray for your missionaries as they seek to serve Christ under very diverse and pressure-filled circumstances;
- Seek to be an encouragement to them through social media, letters, email, or care packages;
- Find out from your church or missionary organization if there is a need you can meet to help your specific missionary;
- Give offerings regularly to your church to help support the missions efforts of your church and individual missionaries;
- Check your own heart and life to see if you shine the light of Jesus brightly as well.
Image Credit Timothy Eberly
KevinCarson.com | Wisdom for Life in Christ Together
Trackbacks/Pingbacks