May 28, 2019
By Andy Samuels
Chief Executive Director
SDB Missionary Society
The Sabbath Recorder and the Missionary Society have some parallels. First of all, they are almost the same age. The current organization of the Missionary Society was established in 1846, two years after the printing of the first Sabbath Recorder.
Secondly, they both have been all over the globe. Just as the Sabbath Recorder has found itself in many households and churches around the world over its 175-year history, the Missionary Society through its long-term and short-term missionaries, and through its support of countless international projects, has immersed itself in one form or another, in the almost 50 countries where Seventh Day Baptists exist.
So, the Sabbath Recorder, in its own right, has been a missionary. It has played a part in the dissemination of the Gospel in printed form, and it has enhanced the identity of Seventh Day Baptists on a global scale. Hence, the Missionary Society views its relationship with the Sabbath Recorder as a partnership, which we pray will continue as long as the Lord permits.
A sense of mission is important for there to be fulfillment and effectiveness in any given context or endeavor. As the Sabbath Recorder soldiers on beyond 175 years, I encourage the affirmation of its mission in the continuous introspection in at least these seven areas. Your partner, the Missionary Society, is doing the same. We are constantly evaluating our mission. The dictionary tells us that a mission is “purpose accompanied by strong conviction.” Every individual needs a mission. Every family needs a mission. Every church needs a mission. Every periodical needs a mission. Every denomination needs a mission.
Mandate – A mandate is an authoritative order or command. Does the Sabbath Recorder have a mandate? As believers, our broad and general mandate is the Great Commission. There is an articulation of the Great Commission in each of the four Gospels, plus the book of Acts. – Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:47, John 20:21, and Acts 1:8
Incarnation – In the pursuit of the fulfillment of the Great Commission and any God-given mandate, some type of incarnation is usually necessary. Incarnation means taking on the life or state of another. Of course, our Lord Jesus Christ is the perfect embodiment of the incarnate. He took on human flesh, in order to identify with us. Christ stood before the Father as if He were us, so that we may stand before the Father as if we are Christ. In very practical terms, many times, to live out an incarnate experience includes speaking the language of another, eating their food, and playing with their children.
Sacrifice – This is the giving up of something for the sake of something else. What does fulfilling your mission cost you? King David said, “I will not offer to God, that which costs me nothing.” – 2 Samuel 24:24, 1 Chronicles 21:24
Supernatural – No worthwhile mission that is God-initiated and God-glorifying can be accomplished without His supernatural empowerment. In Matthew’s iteration of the Great Commission, our Lord adds the words, “And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” We need the Lord’s power and presence to fulfill His mission.
Intercession – Prayer must undergird our mission. Engaging in prayer ourselves, as well as others on our behalf, is an indication that we understand the indispensable nature of that worthwhile privilege. It is indeed the lifeblood of all our work in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Orientation – As we engage in mission work, preparation is needed. When Moses needed to be prepared and equipped for the monumental mission of delivering the Israelites from their centuries of bondage in Egypt, he was sent by God on a 40-year orientation in the wilderness of Midian. How utterly beneficial that was to him and to his future community! When the Apostle Paul was converted, his name changed from Saul, and he was given the Divine assignment of taking the Gospel to the Gentiles, he was sequestered in Arabia for three years. That was to prepare him for the mission to which he had been called. Such orientation involves learning, unlearning, and re-learning.
New Birth – To be authentic missionaries, the experience of the new birth must be a reality. Assurance of one’s salvation is critical to being an effective witness for the Lord. The Apostle John declares that, “These things are written that you may know that you have eternal life.” – 1 John 5:12. After all, one cannot share or pass on what one does not have.
The Missionary Society salutes the Sabbath Recorder on the celebration of its 175th anniversary. Even in the midst of many challenges, may its mission never be lost.