Why should the missionary go on mission? Why should we as Christians do anything that we do for the Kingdom? Why do we answer the call to “go, therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19)?

We cannot go for the sake of adventure or to simply ease our conscience about those who are suffering or have never heard. We cannot go even solely for the sake of the people we are called to minister to. We go because Jesus Christ is completely and consistently worthy! When the thrill of adventure diminishes and we find ourselves in the mundane once again, He remains worthy. When those whom we have crossed cultures and continents to serve end up rejecting us, disappointing us, or even persecuting us, He still remains worthy of our lives poured out in service to Him. All of who He is makes Him worthy of eternal honor, praise, reverence and love.

Everything about His character and ways should evoke perpetual worship from all of creation “from the rising of the sun until the going down of the same” (Psalm 113:3). We who have beheld His glory, tasted His excellencies, and embraced Him as our source of eternal life, live for Him to be known in all the earth. Therefore, the worth of Jesus is not just the propellant for missions, it is the anchor that keeps us in the mission.

In Luke 14, Jesus counsels His disciples to count the cost of following Him. His description of this cost can be summed up in one word… EVERYTHING! He exhorts them that unless they are willing to join themselves to Him such that their love even toward earthly family members looks like hatred in comparison with their love for Him, they are not worthy to be His disciples. This is the price set before every disciple of Jesus.

As we look through the Scriptures and walk with the Lord, the Holy Spirit opens our eyes in revelation to “the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). We see His excellencies as we gaze on His beauty and the magnitude of all He has done. With sobriety, resolve and joy, there comes a resounding YES in our hearts to pay whatever cost is set before us. The great pearl of His Kingdom causes us, in joy, to sell all to follow Him. Our hearts then are brought to reflect that of Mary of Bethany who wasted all she had, representing all she was and ever would be, at the feet of Christ. Why? Simply because He is worthy!

So what makes Jesus so worthy, or in the words of the ‘daughters of Jerusalem’, “What is so special about your beloved, most beautiful of women? What is so special about your beloved, that you charge us like this?” (ISV, Song of Solomon 5:9) He is “fairer than the sons of man” and grace continually comes from absolutely all that He says and does. His battle cry is not of falsehood, pride, and injustice but is of truth, humility, and righteousness. His reign is eternal, with the government of all creation resting on His shoulders. His leadership is perfect. His judgments are pure. His holiness is beautiful. The glory of His kingly robe fills the whole temple of heaven. He loves righteousness and hates wickedness, yet He is dripping with the oil of joy and gladness beyond all His companions. For the King enthroned on high, even beholding the heavens requires humbling Himself, but He didn’t stop there. He emptied Himself to take on our form, to live our life and to die our death. He spilled His blood to bear the sin of a Bride who hated Him. He rose from the dead, conquering sin and has forever devoured the distance between God and man. His scars are redemption. His wounds are healing. His death is life. “Yes, He is altogether lovely...” (Song of Solomon 5:16)

The summation is this: Jesus Christ is worthy of a spotless Bride out of every nation. He is beautifully worthy of this! Scripture, in Revelation 5:9, tells of a glorious scene, where people from every nation, tribe, people, and language worship the Lamb saying,

 “...worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.” (Revelation 5:9)

Constantly beholding the beauty and worth of Jesus causes us to desire that He would be worshiped among all nations. For this to happen, His name and worth must be proclaimed where it is not yet known. He alone is found worthy to take the scroll and open its seals, He alone is the Lamb that was slain and He alone spilled His blood to ransom a people for Himself. With this vision in mind, our Bridegroom King invites us to join Him in pursuit for His Church through missions. Our invitation is to Gaze and Go! May a revelation of His worth ignite our passion and obedience to the mission!

Written by: Simone