The Missionary Call

When I was a little girl I remember going to missionary conferences at “night church” and having missionary speakers come in to the children’s class to share stories of their life in various parts of the world. Eating bugs in the jungles of Africa, riding crowded two-story buses somewhere in the Philippines, taking shoes off before entering houses in India, and translating the Bible into other languages were only some of the tales they shared. It was always a delight to have them visit because the missionaries would bring exotic treats, show us native money, and teach us songs in different languages. We would also win prizes for recalling information we knew about different missionaries. I recall that these times are what planted in me the seed of a deeper love for Jesus and for missions. It made me want to be a missionary.

It is not only the last century of believers who have been driven to the admonition to share the Good News of Christ around the world. The words of Jesus have sounded strong in the ears of Christians for over two-thousand years, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you…” (Matthew 28:19-20a). Most likely one will hear these verses preached at church mission conferences, revivals, Christian camps, and conferences urging the listener to take up his cross and follow Christ in full-time mission work. Caught up in the moment and emotion of it all, many attendees decide to give their lives away to advance the cause of Christ and spread the Gospel to every tribe, nation, and tongue without giving the seriousness of the matter a second thought. What is the “Missionary Call” and to whom is it given? Surely not all are meant to be missionaries, are they?

The “Missionary Call” (MC) is distinct. Austin talks about the MC as an extra-biblical term that comes from God’s command and the Holy Spirit’s prompting which leads an individual to serve usually in a different culture, country, and language (1). Not everyone agrees, however, on how this call comes about and who it is for. In an article put out by Campus Crusade entitled “An Exploration of the Missionary Call” many different philosophies of missions were mentioned both from a positive and negative angle. There are views that encourage overseas mission work which include the following: 1) “Everyone should head toward missionary service until God stops him,” 2) “If you haven’t had a call, you must not be listening because Christ gave the call 2,000 years ago. You are already called! The Great Commission is all the call you need,” and 3) “The need constitutes the call” (Campus 1). Truly there is a need in this world for others to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ so that they, too, may come to live eternally with the Lord. “None of us are called simply to belong to the Church. According to Matthew 28:19, we are to make disciples of all nations. It strongly implies that each church member must also be a disciple of Jesus. Thus, we are to be like Jesus in all things, but most especially in our obedience to God's call on our lives,” says author Philip Zampino (1).

In deciphering God’s will, many seem to believe that we should take the Bible for what it says word for word and apply it to our lives. However, while it is important to follow God’s word, not everything in it is written specifically to our situations. Also, many times it seems that these verses can be used to cause false guilt in others who very well might not be specifically called to the mission field. Those who give in to this guilt could find themselves in a cross-cultural situation that hinders their walk with Christ than helps simply because they were not designed to be in that kind of work.

At the same time, there are other believers who do not take the issue of missions as seriously. In fact, they find ways to run from the profession. Excuse number one is “No one should become a missionary if he can be happy doing anything else” (Campus 1). The problem with this is that it leaves room for a person to be depending on their own will to guide their life. God could be calling someone to work as a missionary, but this view allows them to disobey that call if they desire to follow their own ambitions. One can be fully qualified and gifted to go, but left to their own decision, many will choose to remain in their comfort zone. Another common view is “Don’t move until God gives you a call” (Campus 1). “No one has the right to hear the gospel twice until everyone has heard it once” and “Grow where you’re planted” are some other excuses for refraining from missions (Campus 2). None of these views leaves room for the Holy Spirit to work in the life of the believer. DelTurco comments about the inner workings of the Spirit when he writes, “The call is an inner awareness, an inner assurance that this is God's will for me. It may come rather suddenly. It may come gradually. Often God's call on a life begins with a sense that God has something for me. God wants me to serve Him”(1).

In spite of all these philosophies of the “Missionary Call” I would say that mine is not quite as all-or-nothing. I use 1 Corinthians 12:27-29 as the primary pillar of my view:
Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues. All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they?

In a nutshell, it seems clear in this passage and others that not everybody was made for the same purpose. So, while some will disagree, I think that not all people were sent to be missionaries. There are some who have been called to do such, and some who have been called to be in the supporting role, but all are called to support the task (Ling 4). In my experience with short-term work, I’ve come to know that both sides are necessary for the other; they are interdependent. If everyone was called to be a missionary, there would be no one to support them, thus there would be no missionaries. In addition, for those who are called have been called it is God’s purposed will for them to do so.

Another aspect of my philosophy includes that the “Missionary Call” is not limited to just foreign or un-reached locations of the world. If God places a person in a specific area and puts that burden on their heart, then they are to be obedient to that prompting of the Holy Spirit. To do disregard that is to disobey otherwise. The Bible speaks of every nation, tribe, and tongue coming to know the Lord Jesus, and there are plenty of un-reached people of that description who are either nationals or immigrants who qualify. So then, while there is need outside of one’s home country, there is also similar need within which cannot be overlooked as secondary. In chapter one verse eight of Acts Jesus says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” The “remotest part of the earth” includes the well-known country of America as well as the smaller and lesser-known ones.

This philosophy of the “Missionary Call” carries into my life today. In the beginning I shared a segment of my childhood memories concerning missions and my desire to serve in that area. The Lord opened doors for me to be able to take trips to two countries when I was in high school (Honduras and Ecuador). When I initially applied to Moody, I was aware of my longing to serve in some way cross-culturally, but was unsure how God was going to grow that dream. I came with a passion to serve in Latin America teaching English and living as a single woman. I was content with that idea, and prepared my life accordingly. However, though my plans were for this, God’s plans were for something else. In Proverbs it says, “The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps,” and this verse cannot be any more true for how He has worked in my life over the last three years.

After coming to Moody, the certainty of my future that I once had as sixteen and seventeen year old transformed into a goopy mess of ambiguity concerning my future ministry. I had high hopes of being involved in a Latino group on campus and taking part in the MSF activities. I mean, it was a mix of my two biggest loves, why not? I soon realized that neither of those places were my niche, and this was a disappointment to me. Combine this realization with a number of factors that accompany change and maturing into adulthood, I became discouraged because I no longer knew where God wanted me. Even though I didn’t fit into those groups on campus, I still maintained a desire to serve the Lord in some way in those fields. I just wasn’t sure where.

As circumstances had it, I was unable to return to school the following year due to financial hardship. Needless to say it was a time of misunderstanding between God and me. I was so sure of his calling me to Moody to be trained that I didn’t understand why He wouldn’t have provided for me to continue my education there. God used the time to stretch me, test my faith, and deepen my relationship with Him, all of which I wasn’t fully aware of until that time in my life had passed. In the middle of this, God brought an unexpected blessing in disguise into my life. His name is David. Long before meeting him, I had resolved in my heart that I was going to be a single missionary roughing it overseas. My first year of Moody questioned the missionary overseas part, and meeting him questioned the single part. The one thought that resounded in my mind during the process of meeting him was (which is also the title of a common mission book here at school), “What in the World is God Doing?” With much prayer and confirmation from others I proceeded with this step in my life and began to date this man.

Now I find myself today in a different place than I was fifteen years ago when God planted the desire to serve in missions. I find myself in a different place than I was eight years ago when I decided to remain single. I also find myself in a different place than I was five years ago when I felt a calling for further training in the ministry. Interestingly enough, in spite of all the changes that have happened, I find myself in the middle of God’s will for my life. Am I called to serve the Lord through missions? Yes, we all are, but I have come to the realization that for me this will more than likely not be vocationally, nor overseas. However, I do see myself working in cross-cultural ministry, as my love for that group has not ceased to be in my heart. In the fulfilling of the Great Commission I believe my family will be on the side of support and sending others. However, I will still get a sampling on missionary work’s “cousin”, cross-cultural ministry.