Thoughts from Sunset

August 18, 2006

"A Missionary's Heart"
Inspired by Bill Tracy
Aug. 13, 2006 9:00am Sunset Assembly

"Care more than others think is wise.

Risk more than others think is safe.

Dream more than others think is practical.

Expect more than others think is possible."

When you hear the word "missionary," I'll bet you think of the same thing I used to think of until just a few days ago. To most people, a missionary is a devoted servant of God who serves by spreading the Gospel to the people of small villages in desolate foreign countries. In fact, every time I thought of or heard about a missionary, I always had the same picture in my mind: a person in a third world country village living in a mud hut and trying to teach tribal natives about Christianity.

In many cases, that description accurately describes some missionaries, though it does not come close to giving justice to the amazing dedication and lifestyle of service these men and women have! However, we can't use that description to describe all, or probably not even the majority of the missionaries of today. No, there are not any fewer dedicated people today who serve the Lord in foreign countries spreading the Gospel; in fact, there are many, many more. So, if there are even more missionaries today, how can you accurately describe them? Who are they? Where are they ministering God's Word?

To answer those questions, if you are a Christian, please go look in the mirror. You, my friend, are a missionary. You see, Jesus' last words on this earth, before he ascended into Heaven, commission us to serve as missionaries on a daily basis. We are called in Matthew 28:19 and Mark 16:15 to "...go and make disciples of all nations..." and "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." Notice the "of all nations" in Matthew and the "into all the world...all creation" in Mark. No one ever said a missionary had to serve in a foreign country or minister to foreign peoples. This is a common misconception that has a strangle-hold on many Christians today, and it is preventing God's work to be done on the scale that it is possible.

Yes, it is true that Christ's true message must be spread throughout the entire world to give light to the lost. In keeping with common misconceptions, many people equate "entire world" with "anywhere but here," at least on a subconscious level. As I mentioned earlier, this way of thinking is nothing more than a hindrance to the effort of spreading the Gospel. Not including ourselves as missionaries is a great disservice to the efforts of others and to ourselves.

If you are having trouble thinking of yourself as a missionary, just first consider how many people live in your city. Chances are there are far more than a few thousand. Christians make up about 33% of the world's population, so just figure on anywhere between a third and a half of your neighbors as being a part of the lost who you are commissioned to reach out to.

When you leave your home each morning, please just take a few minutes to pray. Yes, I know you are very busy, but our Savior deserves (and we need desperately) this relationship. Please, remember to pray for those who are lost that they will be shown God's true Word, and ask God to give all of us the strength we need to take it to them.