Why You Need a Missionary in Your Life

When Pastor told our church one Sunday night that he wanted us to view the missionaries we supported around the world as part of our church family – to keep them in the forefront of our minds, to pray for them often, and to correspond with them – I hastened to comply.  I so wanted to be an encouragement to those Christian soldiers who had given up home and country, ease and comfort, familiarity and convenience to spread the gospel to every corner of the world. 

“Oh, those poor, brave, lonely missionaries!” I thought to myself, “They could use all the encouragement they can get.”  I imagined them huddling together in dark caves conducting hushed worship services, reading their Bibles by flickering candlelight, and sleeping on dirt floors.  In contrast, God had blessed me so richly with a luxurious life in America, a seemingly unlimited supply of biblical resources at my fingertips, and an abundance of saints to fellowship.  Reaching out to our missionaries was the least I could do considering all the spiritual richness I enjoyed in my native land.  I felt so noble, magnanimous, and, dare I say, a little self-satisfied smugness as I wrote the initial emails to them.

As the Lord would have it, I got into a regular correspondence with one missionary and was able to meet and talk to two others.  It was during those interactions that my mindset about missionaries was flipped upside down.  I was stunned to realize it was not the missionary who needed me.  Sure, they were encouraged by my interest, emails, prayers, and financial support.  But I needed them so much more than they needed me.  It was the complete opposite of the way I thought things would progress. 

In fact, I have been so affected by my contact with our missionaries that I am convinced God does not send us into their lives to help them but rather sends them into our lives to help us.  We need THEM.

Revealing Disobedience

“How many people are attending your church?”

This was one of the first questions I asked to one of our missionaries in the field.  It seemed reasonable enough, but it emanated from my own preconceived notions of church growth.  I thought a large, growing church would indicate successful evangelistic efforts on the part of the missionary and a small church would indicate…..well…..less successful efforts that perhaps needed to be tweaked.  The answer I received was not at all what I expected.

This missionary (I’ll call him George) admitted that the church he attended was very small – only a tiny handful of families and a few individuals.  But that was because beyond his immediate family the members were solely made up of converts saved and baptized in that church.  True conversions were rarer than I realized.  They take an abundance of time, effort, prayer, and ultimately the loving compassion and intervention of a sovereign God.  This was a reality I was insulated from in my church that had hundreds of members.  George explained it this way:

“Stop to ask yourself how many of the people in your church have come to know the Lord in the last year or two….or three.  This is an exercise I often engage in when I visit a church (in the States):  I ask for all those who have been baptized as believers (not children) to stand.  Then I ask them to sit according to the years they have been saved, starting with 25 years or more. It is not uncommon to find that by the time I ask those to sit who have been saved for more than 5 years there would be exceedingly few left standing (people saved within the last five years). And then I go backwards: 4 years, 3 years, 2 years, and then finally the only ones standing are those who have been saved and baptized in the last year. Often not even one is standing. And this is the case even for churches that number in the hundreds! You see, the churches in America are a bit different than our churches. Americans move often; for jobs, for fun, for whatever reason. We may attend churches of over 200 people, but it's not because that church has seen more than 200 people saved! It's because 180 of those people have migrated to our area or have left other churches disgruntled, only to find our church pleasing to them - for now!”

George went on to explain that the only way they could have a church that numbered in the hundreds in the country where he was serving was if God saved over a hundred people through their obedient evangelistic efforts.  But this was not typical.  Conversions are few and far between “but they are exceedingly precious because of this”, he added. 

Much more church-hopping happens in America than in foreign counties giving us the illusion of growth.

I asked myself uncomfortably, “How often do you evangelize, Janice?”  Here in the States, where churches routinely number in the hundreds and thousands, I could easily be disobedient to God’s command to evangelize and still be in what looked like a healthy, vibrant, large church.  But it is a church made up mostly of transfer-growth, of sheep moving around from one church to another.  The upshot of it all was this:  Maybe we weren’t as faithful, healthy, vibrant, and growing as we thought and maybe I wasn’t as obedient and faithful as I thought.  Ouch.

Exposing Shallowness

“How would you describe the spiritual maturity of the church there?”

I cringe now as I see the subtle arrogance of my question to George.  I thought he would surely recognize that Grace was a spiritually mature church and would likely want prayers that the members of his church would attain the obvious spiritual maturity that we had.  But as with the previous question, the answer George gave me was not what I expected….and exposed more of my own spiritual shallowness than I cared to see. 

They “may not be as spiritually mature as those of, say, GraceJax in some ways”, George said, “but I'd say they are much more mature than you in other ways. In terms of their doctrinal clarity and precision, they lack maturity. Yet, in terms of their sense of unity or fellowship, they're probably more mature than saints at GraceJax. By sheer necessity they've learned to work through conflicts. They've not the option that members in your church have. They cannot simply collect their marbles and go elsewhere. Many times, theirs is the only church for miles around ... miles and miles! It would be very impractical for anyone to say, ‘So-'n-so has rubbed my fur the wrong way! Honey, next Sunday we'll be goin' to First Baptist over there on 2nd Street.’  So then, the saints here have learned much about patience and endurance and seem to have a greater sense of the importance of working through issues and sticking together – regardless of how awkward that might be for one or the both of them.”

Again, George’s answer was so convicting.  If spiritual maturity was measured only in biblical knowledge, then Grace would win hands down.  We had much more spiritual resources, an abundance of faithful preachers and teachers, a Christian bookstore, and multiple weekly Bible classes.  But is that the real measure of spiritual maturity?  Maturity definitely starts with the knowledge of God’s Word but should culminate in a greater love and dedication to each other, displayed in us joyfully doing the one-anothers of Scripture – praying for one another, admonishing one another, forgiving one another, growing in love for Christ and for each other.  Sadly, it seemed that this tiny foreign church made us look very immature in comparison. 

After mulling over George’s answers, I looked at my own spiritual maturity and found it was all too easy for me to judge it by outward acts such as church attendance and involvement in the nursery and home Bible studies.  But how often did I pray for my fellow brothers and sisters at Grace?  How concerned was I about their spiritual growth?  How dedicated was I to the saints at Grace?  How willing was I to forgive real or perceived slights by others in my church?  How spiritually mature was I really?  I was reminded of the time I stopped attending Grace for several months to find a singles group and my heart sank.

Uncovering the Heart

“What do you hope to accomplish over there?”

This was my question to a husband and wife who were embarking on a mission in Asia.  As they excitedly told me of their desire to train up godly men who would exposit the Word of God faithfully and eventually plant solid, biblical churches across the countryside, I thought of my most recent list of New Year’s resolutions.  It was full of things I wanted for me – to lose weight, get a boyfriend, pay off credit cards, and find a more fulfilling job. 

Shouldn’t I have the same desire to see God train up godly men who would faithfully preach the Word?  Shouldn’t I want to see biblical churches started everywhere?  Why was my heart not filled with these desires?  The Great Commission is not just for missionaries, after all.  We are all called to share the gospel, baptize, and make disciples.  The difference is the missionaries are doing it over there, while we are doing it here.  But that’s not often how I thought about it.  My desires, my thoughts, my dreams were often so worldly and I was wholly too enamored with the things of this life.

The Great Commission:  It's not just for missionaries.

God Uses Missionaries

In light of my talks with the missionaries, I considered Christ’s rebuke to the church in Laodicea in the book of Revelation, “For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:17).  Our nominally Christian culture here in America makes it so easy for me to settle into a comfortable, shallow form of Christianity that has little power, endurance, and meaning.  Contacting our missionaries exposed the sinfulness of my own heart, my own spiritual arrogance, my own desperate need for their encouragement, admonition, prayers and example.  It has been quite an experience talking with them – one I will not soon forget.

Keep missionaries in the forefront of your mind.  Pray for them daily.  Write them as often as you can.  Follow their ministries, read their newsletters, and beseech God on their behalf.  Do this not because you should – some guilt-laden, legalistic reason – and not because it makes you feel more super-spiritual then the guy over there that’s not doing it.  Do it because it is beneficial to YOU.  Missionaries are a channel of grace by which God challenges you, chastens you, purifies you, and motivates you.  They may need your money, emails, and prayers but you need their drive, fire, and focus.  You need a missionary in your life!