How often do we hear the phrase, “I’m just not called to missions”? One of the greatest misconceptions when it comes to missions is the notion that you must experience a sensational calling. Yet Scripture specifically reveals Gods heart for the nations and the involvement of His people.
“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, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
ESV, Matthew 28:19
It’s a familiar passage in Scripture; Jesus is sending His people out to all the world. The command is for the Church to take action in reaching ALL with the gospel. And this task is only possible when the church sends and the people go. It’s not a calling; it’s a sending in which all believers have a role to play. Jesus desires to use His Church. Although He didn’t need to use us, He chose to use His bride to be a beacon of light to the nations!
“And you will be my witnesses, in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
ESV, Acts 1:8
ESV, Acts 1:8
Missions is not possible without senders and goers. The two are intertwined; God intentionally handed the responsibility to us. William Carey, before embarking on his missionary journey to India, famously told Andrew Fuller, “I will go down into the pit, if you will hold the ropes”. Carey knew he could not do this task alone. He needed people willing to advocate for him through prayer by keeping hold of the ropes.
It is no different today. Some people must leave their homes and go to the darkest and most remote places. At the same time, others must hold their ropes through prayer, support, and encouragement. Missions is not just about the ones going. It takes sacrifice to go and it takes sacrifice to send missionaries.
The task of reaching the unreached with the gospel still exists today; many people groups around the world haven’t heard the gospel. The misconception, “I’m just not called to missions” places the giant task into the hands of very few, when it was meant to be a weight shared by ALL believers.
The task is difficult and yet the beauty when it is completed will be unlike any other:
“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb’!”
ESV, Revelation 7:9-10
The Lord desires to use us for His glory—to grow His Church, that all may know Him and make Him known!