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I hear all sorts of crazy stuff when talking to people about missions and the unreached. Please, please don’t say these things in front of me.
1. But Michael, there is a lot of work to be done here.
2. I was reading Concentric Circles of Concern and…
3. I think we’re all called to be missionaries. I am a missionary to my next door neighbor.
4. But won’t the 144,000 witnessed just finish the job after the rapture?
5. God is sovereign, it doesn’t matter what I do.
6. I’m just not called.
7. I don’t really want to.
8. Gospel for Asia says….
9. I think that America is the darkest place on the planet because…
10. It isn’t safe.
11. Israel…
Got anything else? I read where someone said the unique thing about blogs is the interaction between the blogger and the readers, so please comment away. If you don’t get one of them I can explain it.
June 22nd, 2006 at 8:51 am
Someone in my family isn’t saved, and if I go then they may not ever have the chance to hear the gospel.
can you explain the concentric circles one?
June 22nd, 2006 at 9:15 am
I got this one a lot from my extended family: “But there are tons of Muslims in America.”
June 22nd, 2006 at 9:28 am
The author’s misinterpretation of Acts 1:8. You need to figure out what your Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and your ends of the Earth are. It has given people the idea that they must be witnesses in say College Station and once it is all good here they can then go on to Texas and then their Samaria and then if they still have time finally be a missionary overseas. As far as I can see there is no order implied in the Greek.
As long as people read the book and get excited about sharing the gospel it is fine, but I have seen it discourage people from missions.
June 22nd, 2006 at 11:22 am
Wait, GFA discourages foreign missions? (I know they raise money for “native missionaries”)
June 22nd, 2006 at 11:36 am
PJ,
Are you serious, or are you just making a joke? GFA and other “Native Missionary” organizations are infamous for discouraging people from going overseas. I often hear about people or from people who were thinking about going overseas until they found out about GFA. “I can just give money instead” is usaully what they would say. But GFA is not in North Africa, East Asia, and many other areas. I could probably write an entire essay on this topic.
The problem with these organizations is not their work. A lot of it is great and I have been encouraged by K.P. Yohannen’s books. But, I feel, they misrepresent the idea of foreign missionaries. The idea of a “native missionary” is oxymoronic. Being a missionary implies being a foreigner. You cannot be native and a missionary. If you are a native, you’re an evangelist, not a missionary. I have to go, but I’ll write more later.
June 22nd, 2006 at 12:29 pm
agreed. (to the post and the last comment michael made)
how about “i dont want to raise my (usually future) children in a forgein country”. i mean, really? seriously? you’d rather raise kids in this culture? honestly? ok, good luck then.
or “if i become a missionary, ill never get married.” that one is popular among the ladies. and it’s too absurd to even merit any more discussion.
June 22nd, 2006 at 1:42 pm
Loved the post, Michael! But help me out with understanding #11?
June 22nd, 2006 at 2:05 pm
1. But Michael, there is a lot of work to be done here.
You don’t agree that there is alot of work to be done here?
6. I’m just not called.
Romans 8:14
because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. If the Spirit does’nt lead a man overseas should that man go anyway? What happened to following the Spirit?
9. I think that America is the darkest place on the planet because…
You don’t think America is a dark place? Look at what’s passing today in America for christianity. I call it “churchianity”, people know “church” but they would’nt know Jesus if He was standing right in front of them. Anyone who looks at what’s passing for christianity today, and does’nt think there is something big time wrong with it, most likely does not have the Spirit of God inside them. Who invented the pastoral system we see today, what does the bible say the church is? Who ever invented a church “service”, a service is something I have performed on my car when I need an oil change, not an intimate meeting with my saviour. The list is long and distinguished.
out of time..till later~D
June 22nd, 2006 at 3:30 pm
Guy,
I hear from a lot of people that I believe have an unbalanced or unbilical view of Israel. There is nothing wrong with having a heart for Jews just like you would any other people, but much of the church seems to think the supreme importance of the church is witnessing to Israel.
BrotherD,
1. I sure do, but there is A LOT more work being done here than among the 2,000,000,000 unreached people on the planet. If you think it is sparce here, take a trip deep into Asia and meet millions of people with no witness among them what so ever.
6. I hear from peopel all the time who don\’t feel a special calling overseas so they will just default to the job of their choice. Why does someone need more of a call to be missionary than to be an accountant? Have they even sought the Lord on the matter? Also, why is their default to stay when the clear emphasis of scripture is to GO! Jim Elliot once said \”Why do you need a voice when you have a verse?\”
I am all for people following the Spirit, but many are just following their own desires when it comes to what they do in life. Also, is volunteerism wrong?
9. I think that America IS a dark place, but it is no where near as dark as places like India and Tibet. Many of the people groups there don\’t even have a church to mess up. They have never heard about Jesus. As a result, they worship the devil in Tibet and still practice child sacrifice in parts of India. America is drowning in light compared to the rest of the world.
I agree that the church is in disarray, but it could be much, much worse.
Thanks for the comments.
June 22nd, 2006 at 7:12 pm
Hey, Michael. Good list. And what about when people \”follow their heart\” to decide what they should do? What happened to following God\’s heart? I think His is a little more trustworthy.
Speaking of which, I need another copy of Passion for the Heart of God. Actually, maybe a few more. Do you have any for sale?
June 22nd, 2006 at 7:13 pm
That should be “His,” not “his.”
June 22nd, 2006 at 7:25 pm
Michael,
How refreshing it is to hear or read someone else say what I’m been saying for years. Guy Muse pointed me to your post. If you want to read a more intense discussion of “who is a missionary” go to my post at:
http://macrta.blogspot.com/2006/05/we-are-all-missionaries-really.html
I look forward to returning now that I know where you are.
June 22nd, 2006 at 8:07 pm
All I have to say is, yep, Jesus is alive and people need to know! And shout out to Meg…yeah, totally ABSURD!
June 22nd, 2006 at 11:04 pm
This will not be popular, but I love it when people say, “I’m going to be a missions mobilizer and convince people to go!”
Isn’t that sort of like ordering suicide bombers into the fray, but unwilling to go yourself? I know too many people who went overseas for a year or two, spent a lot of their time sitting in a missions office somewhere, and then came back to the states to be a mobilizer.
June 22nd, 2006 at 11:45 pm
Dr. Ralph Winter, someone who knows more than alot of us re: missions, says that if he could choose between having 10 people go overseas or 10 people be good mobilizers…he would have them be mobilizers.
It was a good try at discouraging my roommate. I will affirm that his calling is legitimate and that he is bearing alot of fruit here, but would love to get released to go overseas.
Mobilizers are key to evangelizing the unreached.
July 28th, 2006 at 8:53 pm
Jesus loves the little children,
All the children of the world.
Red and yellow, black and white,
They are precious in His sight.
Jesus loves the little children of the world.
A little bit politically incorrect, but nonetheless true.