In this edition of Forms & Patterns™, we will be looking at something I believe is of great interest to God and must be of great interest to us. We are considering “The Prodigal Missionary: How Not to Do the Work of Ministry.” If you look at the title “the prodigal missionary”, two important words are combined; the prodigal, and then missionary. I want us to look at these two words first before we launch into the deep of God’s word, so that we can have a good background for what God has brought our way. The word “prodigal” means “too willing to spend money or waste time, energy or materials.” Another word we could use is “too eager to spend money or waste time, energy, or materials.” That's what prodigal represent.
What about missionary? A missionary, from my understanding of what the Lord has been showing us, is a man or a woman on a mission that is presumed to be more important than his personal interest, comfort or will. A missionary is therefore, from our understanding is a man or woman who has found something to live and die for, and he or she is busy doing it. A missionary is any human being who has found a thing or more to live and die for, and he is busy doing it. So, when you see these two words that we have mentioned, prodigal and then you consider missionary, you would understand that it is not good for the two words to be combined together. However, we have a situation in our world today, where there are many prodigal missionaries on the work of missions.
Many men and women who are in prodigal missionary, they are busy doing the works but they are prodigal and they are prodigal in their approach to doing it. What we are learning as the Lord is helping us is how not to do the work of ministry. Most of the things we will be looking at, are characteristics of the prodigal missionaries that we must examine ourselves not to share in any form. Again, let me say that what we are considering in this episode, are the things that characterizes prodigal missionaries that must never be found in us if we will be effective in the work that God has called us into.
A missionary has found a work to do, and being prodigal in the execution of the work makes the work less effective and the minister less efficient. Let's look at the Bible so that we can have a Biblical perspective to our discussion today. Let's go straight to the book of Luke 15 and I will begin from verse 11 and we will read to verse 32. The Bible says:
“Then He said: “A certain man had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So, he divided to them his livelihood. 13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.”
Now before we continue, we must understand that this young man did not come to the world with those provisions, or those possessions. They were the things that his Father gave to him, they were the provisions that he had received from his father. The Bible says he gathered all his possessions together and went on a far journey. So, let us continue verse 14. The Bible says: “But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want.” We must understand that he was not in want at the beginning. He had abundance, he had in excess of what he needed. But Bible says because he had spent all, and so, the emphasis is on the word “spent all.” “Because he had spent all that he had he was therefore in want.”
The want was not just because there was famine in the land, because should famine had been when he came, he would have survived the famine by the reason of his provisions, by the reason of his possessions. However, haven spent all that he possessed; the famine began to have impact on his life. There are many ministers, many ministries in a situation that is very similar to a famine situation. However, due to the adequate possession of these ministers and these ministries, they are not in contact with the reality of famine in their society and in their environment.
This is a very dangerous situation. When you start a journey of error and you get affected by your surroundings immediately, you are quickly brought to a place of reason, you are quickly reminded that perhaps you are not at the right place, or not doing the right thing. But what happens when you have come to a wrong place, for a wrong purpose but you came loaded? The chances that you will be called to question or called to order is very slim. Why? You have abundance and you can manage even in difficult terrain. Let's continue from verse 15. “Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.”
So, we could understand that when he got to that place he functioned as a missionary, he had a plan and he wanted to execute that plan in that far country. But when he was done, exhausted, when he was done empty, he needed to join himself with the citizen of the country. He needed to blend with the people, he needed to adjust, acclimatize. He needed to abandon his goals, he needed to do the things the people of the land do. And so, what happens? Instead of him having a field that he works on personally, a field that drives him, a field that demands his attention, focus and sacrifices, the Bible says he was given a field by the citizen of that country. And therein, he was expected to feed the swine.
So, let's continue; Verse 16. “And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. “He was exhausted, he had exhausted himself and all the grace, all the favor that he could enjoy. It has finished. And so being clueless, he was found on another man's business. Let us continue from verse 17. The Bible says: “But when he came to himself…” Now, this point is why I mentioned the phrase “call to order.” When you are wrong doing wrong things, and you are in a wrong environment, perhaps you could be quickly brought to order as soon as possible because of the terrain, the hardship and everything.
But assuming you are wrong, many things wrong with the way you do your things. Yet you have abundance, it will be difficult for you to be brought to order. And that's what happened to him, when he was exhausted, when he had finished everything, and had begun to suffer, Bible says he came to himself. If he has done this early, he would have returned early but let's continue verse 17-22.
“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” 20 “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.”
All the things that were lost, all the things that he had wasted and expended were restored. “And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.” Verse 25 “Now his older son was in the field.” I want us to note this word. The younger son gathered every possession, and went on a journey, where he went was expected to be his own mission field. However, the son that was at home did not lack mission field. And it is important we understand this as we look at the word “missionary” and we understand the work of missionaries.
Missions has little or nothing to do with you necessarily going far away from your father. You can be with your father and have a mission with him. You could have your field assigned to you within your father's territory. But for you to tell yourself “I must go far away, I must go as far as possible for me to find relevance, for me to enjoy my life”, it is not necessarily true. Let's continue from verse 25.
“Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’ 28 “But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore, his father came out and pleaded with him. 29 So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you”
So, that tells us very carefully that the eldest son is also the serving son of the father. He was not at home marrying, partying; he was serving the father It says; “these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. 30 But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’ 31 “And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. 32 It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’”
I really appreciate your patience going through that chapter together with me. Now, it is important we note that from verse 11 to verse 32, certain characteristics of prodigal missionaries. When you see these characteristics in any man, any woman, in the work of missions, you must be mindful of the fact that that particular man or woman could be a prodigal missionary. The first thing that I observed from verse 11 of Luke 15 is “Mine Syndrome.” See what the son said in verse 12. “The younger of them said to the father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’”
Give me the portion of grace that falls to me, give me the portion of the ministries that falls to me. Give me what is mine. “Mine syndrome” is the first characteristic of prodigal missionaries. A man or a woman who is driven by desire for himself and things that belongs to him. A man who is always looking for his own portion of every matter. That man, that woman could be a prodigal missionary. The second characteristic of a prodigal missionary is “self-isolation.” See what verse 13. It says: “And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.”
He did it all by himself, he was with the father where he gathered all those resources. However, he isolated himself from the father and from the family, and went on a journey, which the Bible called “prodigal living journey”. The second characteristics that I have observed of prodigal missionaries, looking at the prodigal son is self-isolation, he isolated himself, he took to himself everything that he thought belong to him. And there is a portion of the Bible that says “anyone that isolate himself is seeking his own glory”
In Proverbs 25:27, the Bible says; “To seek one’s glory is not glory.” And so, he sought his own glory by isolating himself from his father and his family and that led him to an end that was less than stellar. The third characteristic of prodigal missionary can be found in verse 14, and what I noted is the Self- expending Syndrome. In Luke 15:14, the Bible says; “But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want.” When he has spent all. Now, the opposite of spending all is saving all. What you save does not go away, it is preserved for a future need.
Instead of him to preserve all, he travelled with it. The Bible says he spent all, he wasted all, and he used all, he didn’t save any neither did he invest”. He didn’t invest in Himself, and he didn’t save any portion of himself, he spent all. That syndrome is a prodigal missionary syndrome, “Self-expending Syndrome” It is important we take not of that.
Another characteristic of prodigal missionaries, looking at from verse 15. It says: “Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.” So, what I noted is “Eventual Abandonment of Personal Purpose.” A prodigal missionary will eventually abandon his personal purpose or her personal purpose. See what happened; as soon as he was in wants, having spent all that he left his father with, the Bible says “he joined himself, with the citizen of that country” a people he was expected to infiltrate and help, change and transform, he joined himself to them, and what happened?
Instead of him changing them and affecting them, they began to affect him. They gave him a responsibility within their own field to feed the swine, something completely away from his destiny, away from his purpose, away from his identity. And so, eventual abandonment of personal purpose is a characteristic or a feature of prodigal missionaries. The last characteristic of prodigal missionary I observed is in verse 17. The Bible says: “But when he came to himself, he said, How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger, 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”
From that statement, we saw that he regretted. So, what I have observed about prodigal missionaries is “Regretful Destiny or Regretful Ending.” No matter how long a prodigal missionary expense himself or herself, eventually the prodigal missionary will abandon his/her personal purpose and then will regret at the end. So, if you do not want to regret at the end of your ministry, you must note that sharing a lifestyle, sharing a ministry style that resembles that of the prodigal son, is inimical to your destiny. Looking at that Luke chapter 15:11-32, I observed a couple of things about the prodigal son which also culminate into the prodigal missionary.
Number one: The prodigal son was actually a son and besides that he was ambitious [he had ambition], again, he was adventurous, he wanted to go to a new place, he wanted to enjoy life, at another place and another level. Another thing that I noted is that he was more concerned about himself than he was about the mission or the work that he was supposed to do. Again, I realized that the prodigal son was never always with the father, because the father said something to the elder brother in verse 31. Luke 15:31, the father said: “Son, you are always with me, and because of that all that I have is yours.” The prodigal son was not always with the father.
Again, the last thing I noted was that the prodigal son wasn’t sent by his Father. If you look at many people in ministries today, you will see that many Ministers who have founded many ministries are actually sons of God and children of God. However, many are ambitious, adventurous, they are more concerned about themselves than the work they are doing. Again, many ministers are never always with God. It is one thing for you to be a man of God on paper or to be known as a man of God by the people, and to indeed be a man of God. The father told the elder son “you have always been with me.” So, it seems to me that no man can identify and speculate how much a man or a woman stays with God. Only God himself can say who has been with Him and who has never been with Him.
So, for the prodigal son, he was never with the father, he was never staying with the father, and many ministers are never staying with God. Again, like the prodigal son, many ministers of the gospel today are not sent by God. They say “God sent them or God called them” but indeed they know it, God didn’t call them. They have called themselves. All they enjoy are the provisions that God has made available for them because they are sons of God, not because they’ve been sent by God. At a point in the book of Acts of the Apostle, the Holy Spirit said to some certain brethren, He says; “now separate unto me Paul and Barnabas for the work for which I have called them”
Now, haven been separated by the Holy Spirit, they were commissioned on the work of missions. The truth is; not many missionaries, not many ministers of the gospel have been sent by the Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit is not the one sending you on that work, note that you will eventually abandon your purpose. Note that you will expend all that you have that you call anointing, grace or anything and you will regret at the end. If you must not regret at the end, you must learn from Jesus. In John 4:34 Jesus said to His disciples; “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.”
What He called the work He was doing, was the work that the Father gave Him. So, He was sent by the Father, and His food and fulfilment on the earth is Him doing the work. In John 17:4 Jesus said; “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.” One thing is very clear, Jesus didn’t just find the work to do. Jesus was given the work to do by the Father. Has the Father given you this work you are doing? Has the Father sent you? If the Father has not given you the work, if the Father has not sent you, you could just be on a prodigal ministry, prodigal missionary journey.
In the same John 17:18 Jesus said again; “As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.” Until a man or woman is sent on a mission by Christ Jesus, such a man or woman is a prodigal missionary doing the work the work of missions as a prodigal son. If you will not regret your adventures due to ambition in spite of your sonship, you must go back to the Father, you must declare to the Father that indeed you want to serve Him, you don’t just want to be a son. You want to be a serving-son, not a son that serves his own self-interest, but a son that serves the interest of the Father. Remember a missionary is a man or a woman on a mission that is presumed to be more important than his personal interest, comfort or will. You cannot continue to be in ministry simply to satisfy your own ego, taste or preferences.
The work of missions is not for men and women who wants to feel good doing it. The work of missions is for men and women who wants to live and die doing it. God indeed has a lot of responsibilities for a lot of people, but until He is ready to send you out, it is important you sit down now to be prepared, so that you will not become a prodigal missionary. Remember, prodigal missionaries are sons of the Father, prodigal missionaries are ambitious, prodigal missionaries are adventurous. But the issue lies in their interest, they love themselves more than the work, and they would rather stay away from the Father than stay with the Father. Again, they have not been sent by the father.
I pray that the grace of God will be multiplied to you, and the grace of God will bring you to that place of submission to the Father, knowing fully well that until God sends you out, you must not be found doing anything. Remember, if you remain with the Father as a son, just like the elder son, whatever the Father owns, whatever the Father has, is also yours. Don’t be like the prodigal missionary who is always looking for his own, “I want to have my own ministries named after me, I want it to go to the ends of the earth, et cetera.” That does not have to be from God. It is important we examine ourselves, examine the ministries we associate ourselves with and examine the work that we are doing, if we will not regret at the end, it is because we come to our senses very early in life and in ministry.
Thank you for the gift of your time, the Lord has sent His word, great is the company of those who have published it, it’s a privilege to publish this word to you, I believe you have learnt something; I believe next week; God has another word for us. Till then, I want you to stay blessed.
God bless you!
