For many of us that were raised in the church, “missionary” always referred to someone taking the Gospel to a foreign land, typically third world areas. I can remember as a kid being surprised to find out there were missionaries in western Europe. It just seemed odd that there would be missionaries in developed countries. And I was blown away a number of years ago to find out other nations were sending missionaries to the U.S. However, that definition of missionary is too narrow.
An understanding of mission that starts with the Jesus of scripture finds that we are all to be “on mission”, regardless of where we live. Yet many churches act like work overseas or in domestic impoverished areas are the only places that demand missions work. They seem to think that missions is something we do, instead of a characteristic of who we are. As Bill Easum said,
”If a church has a missions committee, it’s failed to grasp the significance of what it means to be a church.”
I always marvel at the fact that God has chosen to work through us. Think about it. If you can feed 15,000 with more left over than you started with, did you need the 5 loaves and 2 fish to begin with? We are his hands and feet to do works of service that bring comfort and peace. We give voice to his words of encouragement, strength and hope. He brings restoration through our sweat and struggle. He uses us to share the message of salvation and sanctification. Dr. Spurgeon is right – we are all missionaries. And each of us travels a separate journey that uniquely connects us with others. God is at work in their lives and wants to use you to connect the Gospel in a tangible way. Where is God at work with the people in your journey? Where is He calling you to be a missionary in your journey? The bottom line is…
We are all full-time missionaries (we just don’t all draw a paycheck from the church).
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