THE TWO MISSIONIONARIES (AN ALLEGORY)

Luke 6:38 "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together and running over. _____________________________________________ My mind has been on our Missionaries. I know for a fact- when a church does not give to missons, the church suffers. I am thankful that we go to a Mission Minded Church. God blesses us with His Presense. We were not raised with "Faith Promise Mission Conference." The average that most people gave was $100. a year. But when we heard of giving by faith and depending on the Lord to supply, we decided to try it. Can I say that God did indeed bless us! Every year we have endeavored to raise the amount. Not just missions, but other needs! I remember last year our Pastor, whom we love dearly, ask that we pray about giving a weeks salary for a certain need. (I hope you realize that I am not trying to lift up self, but only to lift up our Savior) A weeks salary! Who can afford to do that? But as we prayed we felt the Lord prompting us to do it. God had been so good to us that we can't afford not to give. About a week or so after we did this my husband got a check in the mail from his former Employer that they still owed him a weeks salary. Just the amount we had given! I have often wondered if that check would have come if we had not given? I'm not saying you have to give a weeks salary- but the more you give - the more God blesses. Especially to Missions! ________________________________________________ I came across this allegory that I thought was appropiate. make for not giving to missions. ____________________________________________ THE TWO MISSIONARIES There came a day when two angels, busy on errands for the King, met at two graves in a tropical land. "I wonder who is buried here?" inquired the first angel. "I can tell you," said the second, "if you have time to tarry for a few minutes." "Say on," said the first angel, folding his wings and his hands, and preparing to listen. So the second angel let down his wings, and looking away as though at a distant scene, began; "Once there were two missionaries, a man and his wife. They left home and kindred and friends, and went to the far off fields where the harvest was plentous but the laborers were few, to labor there for their Savior and Lord, and to gather in souls." After some months the man said to his wife, "Good wife, this is a very strange thing. Our support, which was faithfully promised, has dropped off, and this month is but half enough to meet our needs.. Perhaps we should not go to market for food today." "It cannot be that the Lord has failed us,"said his good wife cheerily. "Though we gather but little, we shall have no lack; and the Father who feeds the little birds shall feed us, and nestle us under His wings." "True," said the man heartily, and they sat down and ate their meal of rice and sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving. They did not go to market that day. On a later day, the wife said to her husband, "This is indeed a very strange thing, as you said- this month our needs are not half met. What do you suppose the trouble can be?" "Take heart, my good wife," said the man cheerily. "Our Lord knew not only hunger, but thirst, as He went about His Father's business. He had not even where to lay His head. We must cheerily sacrifice for the spread of the Gospel. In due season we shall reap if we faint not." "True," said his wife and they sat down to their meal of rice, and gave thanks. Neither did they go to market that day. "Back in the vineyard at home, in a town called Promising, there were very few who gave much thought to the missionaries. Occasionally one or the other prayed kindly, "Oh, God, bless these servants of Thine, and give them souls, and supply their needs- for the laborer is indeed worthy of his hire." Once on a day, Mrs. Can't-Afford-to Christian said, "I really should keep my promise and send some money to those missionaries, but food prices are so high that it takes all our money to feed the family comfortably, and there is nothing to spare -- Come father, come children -- dinner is ready!" And they sat down to their simple fare of tomato aspic appetizers, roast sirloin of beef with Yorkshire Pudding, cauliflower,hot rolls, pickled beets, butterscotch layer cake, milk, andcoffee. "Miss Forgetful-Christian said, "Oh dear, that missionary and his lovely wife have slipped my mind, and for some months I have neglected to send them what I promised. I must remember them with my gift soon." Yet somehow nothing was ever done about it; for when she did remember to do so - was not convenient at the moment, for her checkbook was not a hand. Miss-I-Need-it more Christian took out her credit card and said "I know I really promised to support them missionaries, but I simply must have this newfur coat. It would be ashamed to miss such a bargain -only $400.00, marked down from $600.00. Of course, I cannot get much wear out of it this year - the winter is practically over, but I can save it till next winter." Mr Mean-To-Christian said on a later day, "I have beem very lax in sending the support I promised to the missionary and his wife. I surely must do it soon." Yet as the days went by, with the best of intentions, always meaning to, he never did. However, Mr Faithful -Tither Christian and Mrs. Widows-Mite-Christian continued to send off their gifts regularly, together with their prayers. Then the missionary and his wife were taken sick with fever. "Doubtless It is just because we have been so tired lately, dear wife, " said the man. "Had we all our energy, perhaps we should not have succombed." "True," said his wife. "We will be better soon" he said. "Quite better," she answered. Then they lay silently and neither of them said what other was thinking - that had they eaten sufficient food of the nourishing nature they might not be lying on their backs but would still be laboring for the Savior. A Christian native came in and ministered unto them in their illness Some days later they were both dead. All the native, whom they had led to Christ, came and buried bodies. They stood at the grave and wept! "Who will teach us of God and tell us of Jesus, now that they are gone?" they asked. Now when the news reached home, many dear Christians were much distressed at their going, and wondered why, including Miss-Forget-Christian, Miss I- Need it More-Christian, Mrs. Can't-Afford-to Christian, and Mr. Mean-To-Christian. "What a pity!" said Miss-I-Need It More-Christian, wiping away a tear-"but I am so glad I did not send my contribution. It would have been only wasted, for they were going to die anyway, weren't they?" With this, it seemed the second angel's story was ended. For a long time neither angel spoke. then the first angel stirred his wings, "And they buried them?" he asked softly. "How very sad." The first angel's thoughts were still on the Christians in Promising Land. "So much for self- little for souls," he said, as though he did not hear him. "But their reward in heaven will be great, will it not?" asked the first angel. "It's too bad," he remarked, as he unfolded his wings "that no one else knows about it." And having said this, he flew off on his errand.