This is the fifth and final part of The True Treasure Series
In our last two posts, we considered some of the threats faced by the early Church in her effort to guard the Gospel treasure. First, she had to endure intense persecution at the hands of the ungodly. Then, she was made to develop in her understanding of the truth through doctrinal controversy. In this post, however, we will consider a happier aspect of the early Church’s existence, namely, her missionary efforts, through which she shared the Gospel treasure with others who did not yet know about it. Since the time of the flood, the descendants of Japheth had scattered far beyond the region where Jesus and his apostles had labored. As such, they had never heard the gospel. Therefore, the Church sent out missionaries to labor among them and seek their salvation. We mention here a few of the best-known missionaries. St. Patrick (c. 389-493) labored in Ireland, preaching the gospel to a people caught in the bondage of superstition and paganism. St. Columba (521-597) founded a monastery, where missionaries were trained to bring the message of Christianity to Scotland. And St. Boniface (c. 675-754) preached the good news to the Germanic and Frisian tribes, eventually dying a martyr’s death in his old age. These men and many others were used by God to win thousands of souls from the darkness of heathendom to the glorious light of the Christian faith. In fact, there is a good chance that one of your own ancestors came to faith in Christ through the work of one of these men! Thus, we may thank God that he did not confine the gospel to Jerusalem or Rome but caused the Church to share it with others (in obedience to the Great Commission), so that the riches of salvation in Jesus Christ began to be known throughout the world and for generations to come. This is something we should think about whenever we hear someone pray for the cause of missions. Even after 2,000 years, there are still people who have not heard the gospel. God uses missionaries yet today to bring people out of darkness and into his marvelous light. Let us pray that he will continue to raise up men like Patrick, Boniface, and Columba, yet today!
By Andrew Koerner
Young Calvinists 