Missionaries - God's Gift to the Church

by Ray Thompson

In Romans 11:29, Paul states that “…the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”

The irrevocable gifts and calling of God are for those who have been truly born again and have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. We often hear that the calling of God is without repentance, but Paul said the gifts are also without repentance.

These gifts to the church were varied and were by divine appointment and authority. Without this God-given ability and power, no one can serve the church effectively. This is certainly true of missionary service. No one can do the work of a missionary without the calling and ability that comes with this gift. The missionary is not only God’s gift to the church but is also gifted by God to minister the Word cross-culturally.

Missions is not optional for the Christian. If the church is to accomplish God’s will in the world for this day, every Christian must be “mission minded” and have a “heart for missions.” Frequently we hear it said, “Every Christian is a missionary.” I assume it is meant that every Christian is to be a “witness.” Our children have been taught to sing, “Be a missionary every day!” This sounds good, and I think I know what we are trying to communicate, but does it cause confusion regarding the missionary call? Every believer cannot be a missionary. What is wrong with saying every Christian ought to be a missionary? It is like saying every Christian ought to be a pastor, or an evangelist. These statements are obviously wrong . . . few Bible believers would make that mistake. Pastors and evangelists are gifted and called of God for a specific ministry. The same is true of a missionary who is called of God for special service beyond the sphere of the local church.

The words mission or missionary are not found in the Bible. The root word comes from a Latin verb, “mitto,” meaning “to send.” The Lord set apart twelve of His disciples as Apostles, (one who is sent with a commission) and sent them to their own people Israel. These men were “divinely appointed representatives.” Later the Holy Spirit said to the church at Antioch, “Separate me Barnabas and Saul (Paul) for the work whereunto I have called them.” After the church members had fasted and prayed and laid hands on them, “they sent them away.” These first missionaries were sent with orders. In the case of the Apostles and with Barnabas and Paul, we have a picture of both home and foreign missionaries.

What were these men sent to do that other Christians were not commissioned to do? They left secular occupations and devoted themselves full time as Apostles of Christ and were supported by the church. What else distinguished these missionaries sent to the Gentiles? The witness of Jews to Gentiles involved crossing a cultural barrier. Barnabas and Paul crossed both geographical and cultural boundaries when they were sent out by the church in Antioch. Another aspect that distinguished Paul’s missionary call was his ambition to preach Christ where He was unknown.

When you consider this definition of a missionary, you realize it refers to a believer who has been sent out with a commission from the Lord. The commissioning is done by the Holy Spirit and the church and not by a mission agency. Understanding this definition of missions, you know that every believer is not called to go to a foreign country as a witness for Christ. However, every true believer is to be a witness wherever possible and is to always have a mind and heart for worldwide missions. The church members who are “sending servants” are just as important as missionaries who are the “going servants,” Both are needed as is seen in Romans 10:14-15. When the whole church body is involved in missions, there is health and growth. The success of the church is not measured by its “seating capacity” but by its “sending capacity.”

Do you know what your spiritual gifts are and what God has called you to do in and through His church? This is something every Christian must know to obey God’s command to “preach the gospel to every creature.”

During the past few years there has been a renewed interest in spiritual gifts. The question has been asked, “Is it wrong to say that a person’s gift is His calling?” This would apply to a missionary call as well as to any other call from God to serve in His church.

God has given each believer at least one spiritual gift, and this gift is to be used for the unifying and edifying of the church. A spiritual gift is a God-given ability to serve God and other Christians in a way that will glorify Christ and edify believers. These spiritual gifts are not to be confused with natural abilities.

When all believers know what their gift or gifts are and are willing to use them, all of God’s commands will be obeyed. This includes the command to take the gospel of Christ to all the world.

The Apostle Paul was without question the greatest missionary any church ever commissioned. When writing his epistle to the Romans, Paul began with these words: “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God.”

In II Tim 1:9, he gives a profound truth. “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.”

He also stated in Galatians 1:15,16, “. . . it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen. . . .“ Paul said he was born to be a missionary and knew that God had called him and gifted him to be a missionary.

One of the most dedicated and humble missionary couples that I have ever known was Mr. and Mrs. Weldon Grant Smith. They served the Lord as missionaries to China for forty-eight years. I met them in 1952 just after the last missionaries were evacuated from China. Mr. Smith’s autobiography, “Born to be a Missionary,” is an interesting and inspiring story of how God had His hand on him from birth. He was convinced that he was born to be a missionary. Their ministry included the establishment of an orphanage and school for blind and handicapped children who were unwanted and left at a place of refuse. God used these precious missionaries to have an impact on my wife’s life. She felt God’s call at the age of nine after being in their presence and hearing their testimonies. It was most evident that both Weldon and Rosa Smith were gifted as well as called missionaries. There was no way they could have done the work they did in China for so many years without God’s power and the assurance of His call.

Some men are called to be pastors because they have the pastoral gift. Some are teachers because they have the gift of teaching. Others serve well as church secretaries because they have the gift of helps. Then there are those who are missionaries because they have the gift of missions.

The work of the missionary may be that of a pastor or an evangelist or a teacher or a helper, but he has God’s enabling ability to use his gifts cross-culturally.

Why are there so few Christians who are missionaries? Are there not more believers who have been given the special gift that is needed to do missionary work?

It has been said, “Spiritual gifts are not toys to be played with. They are tools to work with.”

There are five steps that earnest believers can take to discover and develop their spiritual gift. This is one of the most important spiritual exercises a person can employ. This exercise will take some time, but when you put forth the necessary effort, you will have gained spiritual maturity that can be gained in no other way.

1) Understand that these are spiritual gifts. Study Romans 12, I Corinthians 12-14 and Ephesians 4, where many gifts are listed. These three lists are not identical so it may be that Paul did not name all the gifts that are available. God could also give other gifts if needed. Only when it is understood that these are spiritual gifts given diversely to God’s people can a believer know where to serve and what to do for the Lord. It has been noted that Paul gave less emphasis to the “gifts” than he did to the “gifted men” that God gave to the church. This is why I say missionaries are God’s gift to the church.

2) Test each gift when presented. Take advantage of each opportunity to try these gifts to see if you have them or not. If you have an opportunity to preach or teach a Sunday school class, take it as from the Lord. Then ask Him to show you through that experience if you have the gift. Some gifts may require more testing than others, but try as many as you can.

Years ago, it was next to impossible to test the missionary gift. However, most missionaries of this generation, over thirty years of age, went to the mission field because they received a subjective assurance from God that they had the gift of a missionary. While many of them have become very successful missionaries, others have become casualties. Although some who went without the gift have continued serving for many years, they would have been much more successful if they had used their spiritual gifts in their own culture.

This type of situation can be avoided today. We live in the jet age, and travel has become easy. Consequently believers who feel inclined toward missions can actually visit the field and be involved in short-term missions. There are summer mission projects and internship programs offered by churches, Bible colleges and mission agencies. These programs provide opportunities to see mission work firsthand and to test missionary gifts. Although time on the field may be short, it affords ample opportunity to discover the measure of a cross-cultural gift and the use of particular skills in specialized service.

Short-term missionary service is also a great help in preventing missionary casualties. This is a proving ground to discover whether or not an individual has a missionary gift. Some Baptist International Missions, Inc., S.M.A.R.T. and C.L.A.I.M. members have been to the foreign field and have confirmed in their hearts that God has called and gifted them to be missionaries. However, some have returned saying, “Thanks, but this experience has taught me that I could never be a missionary.” Great! The time and expense were well worth it. However, others can hardly wait to apply to BIMI and return to the field. They know they have the gift and calling of a missionary.

I must state, however, that most missionaries have known God’s calling to a given field without ever leaving their homeland. I would be quick to add that some who have made brief survey trips and observed the difference in culture and difficult living conditions have come back saying they were not called to that field.

The metropolitan cities of the United States can also provide cross-culture involvement. Working with different ethnic groups of our inner cities or with American Indian cultures can provide exposure to what it means to be a missionary.

3) Analyze your personal attitude. As you test your gifts, you must pray and ask God to reveal His perfect will for your life. The Lord will give inner peace concerning the use of your gift. Peace plus joy is known by the person who is totally yielded to God and has found His will for his/her life. If you are using your spiritual gift effectively, your attitude will be one of happiness and joy. If you never feel good about what you are doing and it is a dreadful experience — something you never want to do again — this is a strong indication that you do not have the gift.

In Revelation 12:9, we read that Satan, “deceiveth the whole world . . . .” and we know that the Christian is not exempt from this deception. If you are doing God’s work in your own strength or to please yourself or to please some person rather than God, you will have an attitude problem whether you have the gift or not. If you are dissatisfied with your service, Satan can use this attitude to cause you to question your gift. However, if you are walking with the Lord and your spiritual life is up to par, God will give you a feeling of contentment and peace in using your gifts for His glory. At the same time He will enable you to recognize the deception of Satan and give the power necessary to deal with this deception. The truth of I John 4:4, “. . . greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world,” should be your comfort and joy.

4) Measure your effectiveness. Your inner feelings and personal satisfaction are important, but so are outward results. You will be pleased when you are using your gift and doing what you are called to do for God. If your gift is evangelism, for example, you will see people becoming faithful disciples of Christ through your ministry. If your gift is teaching, others will learn from your teaching. If your gift is administration, people will enjoy working for you, and your ministry will run smoothly.

If you have a missionary gift, you will learn to communicate successfully the Gospel to those of another culture. Some have gone to a foreign field and have never been able to identify properly with the people. They are constantly encountering extreme culture shock or feel that they must always “go native.” However, if you find you cannot learn the language, you are plagued with recurring illness, the food makes you sick, and you regularly spend more time with other missionaries than with nationals, you have a problem. It would be wise to begin to question whether you have been called of God and whether you have the gifts needed to do missionary service.

5) Expect confirmation from fellow believers. The body of Christ, like the physical body, has many members and each member has a gift and a job to do. Spiritual gifts cannot be exercised outside the body of Christ. The various members work together as a team under the head which is the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, the ultimate assurance of your gift and calling comes from God and the church. When others tell you that what you are doing is a benefit to the church, you can be quite sure you have the gift.

For a missionary, the confirmation comes from the local church, the mission agency, and the national church. When these three agree, it is obvious that the missionary is indeed called and gifted by God for missionary service.

The effective servant must have both a missionary call and a missionary gift. It is obvious that God never gives a person a gift without calling them to use it. Likewise, God never calls a person without giving them the proper gift.

Every Christian should be concerned about knowing and using the spiritual gifts received from the Lord. Prayer, proper thinking, submission and action on the part of every believer would enable the church to complete the task of worldwide missions.

“Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.” I Thessalonians 5:24.