Thoughts on Missionaries

It's 4:30 am, it's dark outside, and I don't know where...wait, that was 2 weeks ago. I know exactly where I am. I'm sitting in our living room, wrapped in a blanket, sipping a cup of coffee, typing this. I woke up at 4 am, started thinking about the peregrine falcon that I'm hoping to add to my falconry permit and the fact that I was thinking (it's such a rare event) gave me an adrenalin rush so that going back to sleep was impossible. Of course, by 10 am, I'm going to be falling asleep again, but we have to go get started on taxes and maybe the sheer terror of that event will keep me awake long enough that I can fall asleep at a naturally acceptable time tonight. We'll see.

When I last blogged, we were on our way to church to hear a visiting missionary speak. Normally, I speak or our other elder speaks, but we like to have guests, thus Joshua. Joshua is 22 yrs old and has been to Africa several times for several weeks or months at a time. He's quite an accomplished young man. He, for instance, flew his airplane from his home in Artesia NM to our church. I don't know a whole bunch of 22 yr old pilots. Joshua had some thoughtful thoughts for us and I particularly liked the way he addressed what I call “hit and run missionaries”. These are missionaries who go to places, distribute tracts, do some preaching, do an altar call, all that....and then whoosh!!!! Off to the next town! I'm sure God uses them, but the oft quoted “Great Commission” is “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit...” Different parts of this jump out differently to different people, but what jumps out at me are the words “disciple” and “baptizing”. Missionary work thus seems to me like more of relationship building in the name of Christ than it does “hit and run” testifying. Missionaries, at least some of them, ought to stay on the grounds, develop long-term relationships, and grow leaders who are grounded in the faith and capable of continuing sound teaching. Joshua agreed (which is why we liked him, of course!) and had a few things to say about the topic.

The other question I had for him was “which is more important- money to finance missionaries, or bodies to be missionaries? Or are they equal?” I asked that question because some of the missionaries we've had visit say “Go where God calls you” but when you feel called to nail your feet to the floor and go nowhere, they can become critical, emphasizing the “go” part. Yet, many people would consider our little corner of New Mexico to be “the end of the world” (Acts 1:8) and what we're doing here is trying to make disciples and hold down the fort.  Staying put and growing long-term relationships seems to me every bit of a calling as going hither and yonder.  I discussed this with Joshua and as I did, I recalled passages from 2 Corinthians 8-9 where Paul is commending the Corinthians for supporting his travels. In this case we have a Biblical example of a congregation staying put and earning money to support the efforts of traveling missionaries. They are obviously both necessary.

All of this points out a few things- first, we tend to do what we like, justify those things, and like people who are like us. Secondly, it's critical to find Biblical examples to use as models. Missionaries who travel tend to encourage other people to travel and pastors who feel called to stay in one place tend to justify their actions. But I think we have Biblical support for both and that both parties need each other. Instead of feeling inferior or instead of judging the other party, we ought to support one another, and I think Romans 14 is applicable to this issue. It doesn't matter much what I think or what I feel, though. What really matters, especially in a church situation, is what the Bible models. This is where I think we so often go wrong- we do what we want to do. But our way is not God's way and His ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8). If we are to call ourselves “Christians”, that is “Little Christs”, then we can't rely on our own devices, but must follow the model set down for us. And that model is not a rigid one,either. There actually is a lot of flexibility in the Biblical model. The problem comes, I think, when people try to follow the letter of the law instead of the spirit of the law. They do exactly what the letter says instead of trying to understand what the letter is teaching. This is robotic obedience, not living obedience. I'm basing this thought on Jesus' dialog with the devil in Matthew 4 and the point Paul makes to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:15. I'll probably elaborate on this at a later time. Right now, though, the sun is peeking over the snowy horizon, the house is beginning to stir, and I will wrap this up.

In closing, I'd like to point out that yesterday was my 25th marriage anniversary. I've now been married for more than ½ of my life. I would thank my wife for putting up with me that long, but she would said that I need a more positive attitude, so I guess I'll just congratulate her instead. :)