A dear friend of mine recently left to train for ministry he’ll be doing in Europe. Before he left with these words that he wanted to impress:
I don’t like the term “missionary” because that seems to imply that only people who leave to go to some other country are supposed to be making disciples and fulfulling the Great Commission. That’s wrong. Totally wrong. Every man, woman, or child who claims to be a follower of Christ is commanded–not “called”, but commanded–to be a part of making disciples of all nations. It will look different in each of our lives, but it’s inescapable. Whether God has us living in a foreign country, going to school, or working a 9-to-5 job in America, we all must be playing a role in the Great Commission.
I wholeheartedly agree with my friend on this! And for many of us, I think this is a very important message that we need to hear because we can so easily forget it.
But there is also something else that many of us need to hear, those who are going into “full-time ministry,” and that is that we are never off the hook!
It’s easy to get caught up in the trap of, “Oh, I’m involved with my church ministry/campus fellowship/going on a mission trip soon, so that will be my ministry, and I will just focus on doing that.”
For me, it’s the World Race. I am so super pumped about the WR, focusing on preparation, looking forward to what kinds of ministry I will be involved in when I go, etc. But as of right now while I write this, I still have over 4 months before I leave.
4 MONTHS! That is more that a semester in college. That is more that a summer break. That’s way more time than what I will be spending in each country when I am on the WR. Don’t waste it.
It’s not only vital for my own spiritual health to be plugged into fellowship and ministry with other believers, but it would also be shamefully irresponsible of me to sit back and do nothing of eternal significance while I wait in anticipation for the World Race. It’s important, on the other hand, not to go to the other extreme and get over-involved, but ultimately the question is this:
How is God calling me to serve Him here and now?
So yes, I am called as an apostle (literally, “sent one”) of Jesus Christ on the World Race, but you and I both are commanded to be on a mission to fulfill the Great Commission in the situation God has placed us in.
