Who Will Go?

God is looking for ready and willing servant’s; not the best, brightest, or perfect individuals to “Go make Disciples”.

How do you respond when someone calls you on the phone? Do you sigh before answering? Do you answer the phone energetically? Perhaps when someone calls you, your response is to hang up and wait for a text.

How do you answer when God call’s you to do something or a ministry opportunity presents itself? Perhaps you sigh, grumble, and complain. Our response should like of Abraham when God called Abraham in Genesis 22; Here I am. God would tell Abraham to sacrifice his son. When God came to Jacob in the middle of the night in Genesis 46; Here I am. When Moses heard the voice from the burning bush in Exod 3:4; he responded Here I am. When God called Samuel in the night he responded; Here I am. When man by the name Ananias in the city of Damascus responded to God, Here I am. Ananias had to overcome his hatred of Saul/Paul to remove the blindness of Paul.

Most famously is Isaiah’s call in Isaiah 6.

Isaiah’s Call

Isaiah 6

God’s Glory

Isaiah was humbled by the glory of God.

Isaiah recognized that he is not worthy to be the presence of God’s glory

Isaiah’s Sanctification

God forgave Isaiah of His sin

God set him apart for His holy work.

Isaiah’s Response

Isaiah responded to God’s question of “Who will Go” with “Here I am Lord, Send Me”

Application:

Have you seen the glory of God in your salvation?

Have you responded as a willing servant to fulfill the Great Commission

Are you looking for divine appointments everyday to impact eternity

David Brainerd

The life of David Brainerd is a challenge to us all. His short life is marked with service to the Lord in carrying out the Great Commission. He was not perfect nor the most qualified, but his heart attitude God used mightily.

David Brainerd was born on April 20, 1718, in Haddam, Connecticut. His short life of just 29 years became a beacon of faith, inspiring missionaries like William Carey, Jim Elliot, and David Livingstone. At the age of 21, Brainerd placed his faith in Christ, a transformative moment that would guide him to dedicate the last four years of his life to missionary work.

In 1739, Brainerd entered Yale to prepare for pastoral ministry. Under the stirring influence of George Whitefield, many students either found salvation or began taking their faith seriously. However, the faculty's lack of spiritual fervor created tension. A decree was issued forbidding students from labeling the rector, trustees, or tutors as unconverted, carnal, or hypocritical. Violators faced strict punishments, including public confession or expulsion. When Brainerd criticized the rector, saying he wondered why the man had not “dropped dead” for fining students in their pursuit of God, he was expelled. This expulsion closed the door to pastoral ministry, as the law required pastors to graduate from Harvard, Yale, or a European university.

Yet Brainerd did not let this setback extinguish his calling. In 1742, he joined the Society in Scotland for Propagating Christian Knowledge, embarking on missionary work among the Delaware Indians. His ministry was fraught with challenges. Plagued by ill health from his college years onward, Brainerd battled tuberculosis, loneliness, and depression. At times, he felt empty of affection for the souls he ministered to. Despite his struggles, he faithfully served God and the people to whom he was called.

Brainerd’s devotion is evident in his heartfelt journal entries: “I could have no freedom in the thought of any other circumstances or business in life. All my desire was the conversion of the heathen, and all my hope was in God: God does not suffer me to please or comfort myself with hopes of seeing friends, returning to my dear acquaintance, and enjoying worldly comforts.” His secret to remaining steadfast in ministry, despite his failing health, was a deep reliance on prayer and Scripture. He firmly believed: “God can and does use weak, sick, discouraged, beat down, lonely, struggling saints, who cry to Him day and night, to accomplish amazing things for His glory.”

In April 1747, Brainerd left the mission field and moved into the home of his would be father-in-law, Jonathan Edwards, to try to recover health. However, Brainerd’s health deteriorated rapidly, and in October of that year, he passed away. Yet through his brief ministry, he witnessed many Native Americans embrace salvation and begin their own missionary efforts to reach other tribes.

David Brainerd’s life, though short and riddled with hardships, shines as a testimony to the transformative power of faith, prayer, and devotion. His story reminds us that God works through imperfect vessels to achieve His divine purposes. Brainerd’s unwavering commitment to his calling and deep reliance on God’s strength leave a legacy that continues to inspire faith and mission across the centuries.

Notable quotes are

Here am I, send me; send me to the ends of the earth; send me to the rough, the savage lost of the wilderness; send me from all that is called comfort on earth; send me even to death itself, if it be but in your service, and to promote your kingdom

Lord, let me make a difference for you that is utterly disproportionate to who I am.

Give yourself to prayer, to reading and meditation on divine truths: strive to penetrate to the bottom of them and never be content with a superficial knowledge.

Give yourself to prayer, to reading and meditation on divine truths: strive to penetrate to the bottom of them and never be content with a superficial knowledge.

Impact eternity

2 Cor 4

The God how spoke light into existence has shined into our hearts that we may know him. vs 6

We have the glorious treasure of salvation in our earthen vessel of a body. vs 7-12

We are to escape insignificance and impact eternity. vs 18

Your Response

How do you respond to God’s glorious salvation?

How do you respond to the fact people are dying and going to hell?

How do you invest into eternity?

Do you believe that you can’t impact eternity because of health, time, resources, or another excuse?

What is your heart attitude, one of a servant, or one of resistance to God’s call to action?

How you respond to God reveals what you believe, value, and priority.

God is looking for ready and willing servant’s. The fields are white unto harvest, but the laborers are few.