|
restoring our biblical and constitutional foundations
|
Thoughts of a Roving Missionary
These miscellaneous thoughts occurred to me today. Perhaps they will stimulate your thinking.
1. You can serve Christ and still end up in chains. Just ask Paul. There’s nothing easy about missions. I won’t kid you – there’s a price to be paid for serving Jesus.
2. “Leave it behind and keep it out of sight.” That’s what Jesus told His disciples when He sent them out. “Travel light,” He said. I’ve been instructed to wear only one shirt while I’m teaching pastors in Ukraine. It’s sort of a visual aid to show that the Gospel is not about material things. Very wise.
3. Evangelism best takes place in the web of human relationships. Just stick to the basics of loving, caring, and serving in the name of Jesus. The rest will fall into place.
4. If Peter needed his sheet from heaven, how much more do I need one? Missions means leaving our personal prejudices and judgmental attitudes behind. Holier-then-thou attitudes are incompatible with the Gospel of Christ.
5. Receptivity is totally a God thing. Divine preparation must always precede human activity.
6. The obverse is that we must expect God to do great things. Faith is
expecting enablement when we
need
it. It also means expecting blessing even when we’re not qualified for it.
7. Evangelism is more than tell. It’s also show. The Gospel must be demonstrated, not just verbalized. If we don’t play the music people will never hear the words.
8. Don’t try to do it all. Do what God has gifted you to do. He still uses loaves and fishes.
9. Love, love, then love some more. We fit into God’s redemptive purposes by loving Him and by loving others until they ask us why.
Now here’s the deal. None of these missionary principles mean a hoot unless I practice them in my own community.
Now that’s convicting!
May 24, 2007
David Alan Black is the editor of www.daveblackonline.com.