Day #362 - Throne Room Mission
The Presence - A Devotional for living in Thanksgiving, Worship and Wonder
“Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.””
Revelation 5:6-10 NIV
What is the longest prayer meeting you have attended?
I’ve been a part of 48 hour prayer meetings, weeks of prayer and fasting, and all night prayer meetings. Well, have you heard the story of Count Ludwig Von Zinzendorf and the Moravians? Zinzendorf was a wealthy landowner and brought unity to various Christian groups who came as immigrants. They organized a prayer meeting that lasted twenty four hours a day for 100 years. The Moravians launched the greatest missions movement at that time in history and a profound impact on church history as they influenced John Wesley and what would become the Methodist movement and churches.
There are stories of Moravian missionaries who sold themselves into slavery because it was the only way they could get to some nations they felt a burden for. I’ve heard accounts of Moravians who were on ships leaving their port would cry out to those bidding them farewell on the docks, “to win for the Lamb that was slain the rewards of His suffering.” There devotion to “the Presence” in prayer fueled a love for Jesus that compelled them to spread the gospel to the nations.
When you are in “the Presence” God shares His heart with you and His heart is for the nations. But when we get His heart for people and we go to the nations to win them to Jesus, they become a part of the company of saints that worships Jesus forever. Presence motivates mission for the right reasons: pure love. But missions end is presence.
In Revelation 5, John sees the extravagant worship around the throne of the slain and risen Lamb, Jesus Christ. He hears that Jesus has redeemed by His blood those from every tribe, language, people and nation. Jesus will be worshiped forever by every ethnic and language group on the planet. When unreached people groups receive a witness in their own language of the gospel, get a Bible in their language and surrender to our Lord, Revelation 5 is still being fulfilled in our day. Just imagine that a Jesus is still longing to hear His name praised from languages that have never uttered His name.
The price of missions is a privilege as believers sacrifice time in prayer, finances and their very lives so that Jesus will receive glory forever from all peoples and tribes. Jesus loves the nations and He is worthy to be worshiped in all languages. May His presence fuel us in mission and may our mission help fill heaven with all languages for His glory.
King Jesus, Lamb of God who was slain before the foundation of the world, let my life bring You glory. May Your church and I win for You the rewards of Your suffering. I ask You to share Your heart with me for the nations. You are worthy of worship forever from every tribe, language, people and nation. In Your great name, amen.