I've been interested in missions ever since I was a child. The church I grew up in was excited about missions, and every November our missionaries would come show slideshows of villages in Papua New Guinea or wherever they happened to be, and talk about the amazing things God was doing around the world. This would culminate in the Missions Banquet, a sort of "Hurrah!" and a way to get pumped about another year of giving. It was fabulous. I've never found anything else quite like it.
Over the years, my beliefs about God, the church, and our place in the world as Christians has changed and evolved and (I'd like think, at least) matured to reach the point I'm at now. And while this process is by no means finished, I have picked up a few insights along the way. First, God has called everyone to missions. Granted, he has not called all of us to go live in grass huts in the deepest jungles (Thank goodness for that--I've got a thing about really big bugs...), but we are all called to be missionaries in some fashion. For some of us, it's the mission field of the family, or the workplace, or the summer camp, or quite possibly all of the above. For others it's the teaching and equipping of pastors and church leaders and conference speakers. And some of us are called to third-world countries on the opposite side of the planet. Some are called to go; others are called to stay behind--but they are just as important as those who go, because they are the ones who get to send. Because the people who go could never actually get going without a committed team of senders, who are just as much a part of the mission work. (And on that note, I'm at 33% of my support--thank you to my loyal senders!)
The second thing I've come to believe is that God does not actually need me. He called me, but I could have said no. I would have missed out on a lot, but I had a choice in the matter. In the story of Esther, Mordecai pleads with Esther to intercede for the Jews. He says, "For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place" (Esther 4:14). God put Esther in a place of having to choose, but if she'd declined, He would have found some other way--and Esther would not have just lost out on some blessings, but she would have lost her very life. So what does that mean? God doesn't need me, but he called me, and I am humbled and honored at the chance to join this incredible work! What has God called you to do?
Over the years, my beliefs about God, the church, and our place in the world as Christians has changed and evolved and (I'd like think, at least) matured to reach the point I'm at now. And while this process is by no means finished, I have picked up a few insights along the way. First, God has called everyone to missions. Granted, he has not called all of us to go live in grass huts in the deepest jungles (Thank goodness for that--I've got a thing about really big bugs...), but we are all called to be missionaries in some fashion. For some of us, it's the mission field of the family, or the workplace, or the summer camp, or quite possibly all of the above. For others it's the teaching and equipping of pastors and church leaders and conference speakers. And some of us are called to third-world countries on the opposite side of the planet. Some are called to go; others are called to stay behind--but they are just as important as those who go, because they are the ones who get to send. Because the people who go could never actually get going without a committed team of senders, who are just as much a part of the mission work. (And on that note, I'm at 33% of my support--thank you to my loyal senders!)
The second thing I've come to believe is that God does not actually need me. He called me, but I could have said no. I would have missed out on a lot, but I had a choice in the matter. In the story of Esther, Mordecai pleads with Esther to intercede for the Jews. He says, "For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place" (Esther 4:14). God put Esther in a place of having to choose, but if she'd declined, He would have found some other way--and Esther would not have just lost out on some blessings, but she would have lost her very life. So what does that mean? God doesn't need me, but he called me, and I am humbled and honored at the chance to join this incredible work! What has God called you to do?
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