Missions or Missionaries?
A discussion emerged recently in a conversation with a new friend that's working on his Masters in Ministry from AU. The discussion was around the difference between missions and being a missionary. Our relationship is one of mentor (me) and Mentee (him). I'm serving as a mentor for AU for this graduate student. However, during our discussion he mentioned in class his professor had asked if there was a difference between missions and a missionary.
This immediately got me to thinking about all the times I've sat in church when a missionary came to town. I recall hearing the pastor or someone saying something to this affect, "We're going to take up a special offering for Mr. & Mrs. XYZ." "You can't go but you can give and send these wonderful people to the mission field", the pastor would go on to say.
STOP THE PRESS!!! Does anyone hear in this statement what I'm hearing? "You can't go so send someone else and send some money." WHAT!!??? Ok, true you may not be able to go to India, Africa, etc. and so yes, you should look to support those that can go. BUT that statement or similar ones (You may not be able to go) imply that as a follower of Christ, I can't go missionally. But Jesus said, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Jesus' statement was for every follower of his.
Too long the western culture church has seen missions as happening, 'over there' the 'ends of the earth' (Acts 1:8). We've emphasized the 'ends of the earth' while the church in North America get's further and further out of touch with the world around it. We've focused "over there" while we've let the ground around us crumble out from underneath us. We should continue to go the "ends of the earth" but we must never forget to bloom where we're planted, here.
The "Why"
The "Why" we do it is to make disciples. We've forgotten the "Why". That "why" has been left behind in the North American Church. We have plenty of books, conferences, mentors etc. of people telling us "How" to go but very little on the "why". The "Why" is to show people the love of Jesus to bring them into a relationship with Him.
The "What"
Half of all North American Evangelical churches have not seen 1 convert in a year. Half of all those with a relationship with Jesus has not invited 1 new person to church in a year. Why? Maybe we've forgotten the "What." With "What" were we commissioned to make disciples? Jesus said in Matthew 28:18, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." The power and authority of Jesus is the "what" we are to go with. The "Why" is the because. Jesus said to make disciples, those that are disciplined (see disciple in that word) to follow Jesus. The "What" is authority from Holy Spirit to have impact.
The "How"The "How"? well you can get any number of books on that, but basically the how is to be true to yourself and the personality God gave you. Be sensitive to what God is already going in their life and work with Him.
So when a pastor says, "You can't go..." don't buy the lie. Don't confuse missionary (one who goes with a message) with missions (the act of taking the message to another land). We are all missionaries. If we continue to get confused the United States will grow from the 3rd largest mission field in the world to #1 and the trend of other countries sending missionaries to the U.S. will only increase.
This immediately got me to thinking about all the times I've sat in church when a missionary came to town. I recall hearing the pastor or someone saying something to this affect, "We're going to take up a special offering for Mr. & Mrs. XYZ." "You can't go but you can give and send these wonderful people to the mission field", the pastor would go on to say.
STOP THE PRESS!!! Does anyone hear in this statement what I'm hearing? "You can't go so send someone else and send some money." WHAT!!??? Ok, true you may not be able to go to India, Africa, etc. and so yes, you should look to support those that can go. BUT that statement or similar ones (You may not be able to go) imply that as a follower of Christ, I can't go missionally. But Jesus said, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Jesus' statement was for every follower of his.
Too long the western culture church has seen missions as happening, 'over there' the 'ends of the earth' (Acts 1:8). We've emphasized the 'ends of the earth' while the church in North America get's further and further out of touch with the world around it. We've focused "over there" while we've let the ground around us crumble out from underneath us. We should continue to go the "ends of the earth" but we must never forget to bloom where we're planted, here.
The "Why"
The "Why" we do it is to make disciples. We've forgotten the "Why". That "why" has been left behind in the North American Church. We have plenty of books, conferences, mentors etc. of people telling us "How" to go but very little on the "why". The "Why" is to show people the love of Jesus to bring them into a relationship with Him.
The "What"
Half of all North American Evangelical churches have not seen 1 convert in a year. Half of all those with a relationship with Jesus has not invited 1 new person to church in a year. Why? Maybe we've forgotten the "What." With "What" were we commissioned to make disciples? Jesus said in Matthew 28:18, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." The power and authority of Jesus is the "what" we are to go with. The "Why" is the because. Jesus said to make disciples, those that are disciplined (see disciple in that word) to follow Jesus. The "What" is authority from Holy Spirit to have impact.
The "How"The "How"? well you can get any number of books on that, but basically the how is to be true to yourself and the personality God gave you. Be sensitive to what God is already going in their life and work with Him.
So when a pastor says, "You can't go..." don't buy the lie. Don't confuse missionary (one who goes with a message) with missions (the act of taking the message to another land). We are all missionaries. If we continue to get confused the United States will grow from the 3rd largest mission field in the world to #1 and the trend of other countries sending missionaries to the U.S. will only increase.
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