“I mean, how do you explain
the difference between a Christian and a missionary to people?”
This question was posed to me
a few months ago. As followers of Christ, we are called to be missionaries. A Christian
and a missionary are not meant to be separate. They are one and the same. To
pursue Christ with reckless abandon, passion and intentionality is something
that is all encompassing. Part of that is the role as missionary.
Sadly, as a church, we have
taken something that God meant to be part of our identity in Christ, and
redefined it:
Mis-sion-ar-y [mish-uh-ner-ee]
: the title of one who desires to share the good news full-time, as in a
career.
We have glorified this
definition of missionary. We have idolized those who have traveled miles to
serve God. Some of us have even wished that God had created us the same way He
created those He takes across oceans to share His love.
Seeing and experiencing this
brokenness within the body breaks my heart. To pursue Christ with reckless
abandon, passion and intentionality does not necessarily mean travelling to
another continent. I thank God for those that He does call to devote their time
to serving another’s physical and spiritual needs in other nations. The way He
connects us across cultures and barriers is truly inspiring in itself.
But for you, followers of
Christ, you who do not feel you have a “career calling” to become pastors,
worship leaders, Biblical teachers, travelling missionaries… you are mistaken
if you think your witness means less than those who have a “career calling” to
ministry.
See, this is the true
definition of missionary:
Mis-sion-ar-y
[mish-uh-ner-ee] : Christ Follower
“And he answered,
‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul
and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as
yourself.’” Luke 10:27
We
are called to love God first and then love people. Scripture does say in Mark
16:15 to “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.” I’m not
discounting that. But this scripture says “all the world”, and we have to trust
that God is sovereign. That He will take us where He wants us to be and that He
will use us in that place. No matter where we are, we are called to share His
love. In Luke 10:27, we are simply called to love our neighbor. This means
those that God has placed us in community with, and those that we encounter on
an every day basis.
Youth
With a Mission is an amazing missions organization. The vision and mission is
to see people loving God, experiencing His love and going into the nations and
sharing the gospel. They have schools called Discipleship Training Schools
(DTS) all over the world. These are intense programs of learning about who God
is and growing in Him as you deal with brokenness and come to a place where you
are walking in freedom and healing in order to then go out and minister to the
people of this world.
I
attended one of these schools earlier last year, and doing that was one of the
best decisions I have ever made. Through that experience, God helped me
re-define my definition of missionary. In fact, He replaced my definition with
one that is His own.
I
want to recognize the hard things missionaries across oceans encounter.
Sometimes they are nothing like what we experience in our own hometowns and
communities. As they chase God and His calling with abandon, the world rejects
them and spiritual warfare surrounds them. Such a life is something that many
of us fear, but I would not wish a life full of contentment found in the world
for anyone. Jesus promises that in Him is where we will find peace, and in the
world we will find tribulations (John 16:33).
I
encourage you to ask God to constantly lead you into new and uncomfortable
things. Things that will grow your faith, hope and trust in Him. Things that
will grow your love for Him and the outpouring of His love for you into others.
Live a life full of passion for Him.
He is teaching me what this looks like each and every day. Right now, Tauranga is the city He has me in. In a few months, it will be somewhere else in the world. My year will more than likely end back at home in Texas. This is the journey He has me on, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I have never before understood living life in surrender to Him so clearly, and I'm sure He will continue to blow my mind with the concept.
A
friend of mine recently described to me a beautiful picture of a jar full of
water. It had cracks in it, which allowed the water to continue to flow out as
it was continuously being replenished. I pray that you would live such a life
as this of surrender to God, that you may intimately know Him and remain open
to letting Him use you to bring others into that same intimacy with Him.
Much
love,
Cambri
