Faith

On Missionary

looking into globeLet me share a little experience, please follow closely:

I was very excited about my first missionary journey especially because God had orchestrated it Himself but as soon as we (my missions’ team, including me) landed in Guinea to begin the main work of Missions and Discipleship, I was disappointed.

Oh yes! I enjoyed the hardship of the three days straight road trip from Naija (Nigeria) to Ginja (Guinea) – the sleeping in the car as instead of motel, Burkina Faso’s 41 degree sun and wind that made me finish three bottles of water whilst feeling hot and dry, the not bathing for three days straight with itching bodies and smelling mouth, the pit latrine and bush experience and seeing snakes and monkeys…

However,
As soon as we settled base in Guinea, I was terribly disappointed at missionary work because I had always equated missionary work with severe hardship.

”The harder the situation, the more of a missionary man you have become”

QUICK BACKGROUND: 25 years ago, Guinea was 99% traditional/Islamic, their north base was the second in command to Al-Queda and Preaching Jesus in that zone demanded stoning to death and all the other cool ways of being martyred. Hehe.

BACK TO THE MATTER!:

What I did not know was that 25 years ago, God had sent the man who heads our Guinea missions to Guinea to spread the Gospel in power. Surely, I had heard about all the deadly missionary stories but he never told me that 25 years after, (though there are still a way higher percentage of Muslims here) the gospel had spread(and is fast spreading) to almost every corner and centre of Guinea.

Meaning that WE DO NOT GET TO DO MUCH ‘MISSIONARY WORK’ THIS YEAR, WE’D SIMPLY BE DOING DISCIPLESHIP!

Can you imagine? That meant to me that I might never die or nearly die on this mission trip, ?? after rehearsing how I would talk to my persecutors before they slay me! *Mtcheww*

And so I was disappointed.
Because….

At the border for the Al-Queda base where preaching Jesus was banned, there were many persons even from high government positions awaiting our arrival at the border instead of Al-Queda hindrances with gun.

There was so MUCH food, more like a feast set before us as soon as we arrived and there on except when we declared a fast… So I got fatter instead of thinner.

All The people received us and the words we spoke because even the Muslims we met would testify to others that Christianity and being a Christian is good. Can you imagine them helping us evangelise?

Instead of me to be overjoyed at the success of the spread of the gospel which is at the heart of missionary work, I was so disappointed.

I was disappointed because I, like many others had a misunderstanding about what being missionary is all about.

So let’s clear some things up:
  • WE ARE ALL MISSIONARIES:

Missionary is not a title, special gift or anointing, or church leadership unction given to any special somebody. It is a command given to all of Christ’s disciples in Matt 28:18-19. Go into all the world, preach the gospel, and disciple them to become disciples who would disciple others.

Pastor, Evangelist, Prophets, Apostles and Church members are all called to be missionaries.

  • MISSIONARY DOESN’T ALWAYS EQUATE HARDSHIP:

Chai! I think some ‘missionary peeps’ have lied to us o! Some of them dey enjoy fire! While others sing hymns like ”it is well with my soul” and ”soon and very soon”.

Listen, being missionary which equates to being a Christian is what is equated (if necessary as peter says in his first letter) to hardship. Some of you are chilling anyhow because the people before you have laboured in sweat and blood to lay a solid Christian environment. However, just reading ICC today, you’d see the number of Christians that had died for Christ’s sake this very week.Jesus writes to seven churches in Revelation. Not all of them suffered severe hardship. And He even asked one of the churches to prepare for more trouble. Be ready to suffer severe hardship for Christ sake. There’s no point in praying away necessary hardship (which the bible says will purify our faith).

  • MISSIONARY DOESN’T EQUATE WITH LEAVING YOUR CURRENT ZONE (STATE, COUNTRY, OR CONTINENT):

It took me a while to realize that ”Go into the world” does not necessary mean travelling from border to border for every body and infact, Paul did so because He was set apart by God with Barabbas but before the journey, He was already a missionary”. The unreached new-born child in our home and the homes we know is ”all-the-world”, the corner of our street is ”all-the-world”, the mall and parks we go to in our country is ”all-the-world”, our work places and school environment is ”All-the-world”.

God into all-the-world Today!
Be a Missionary Man or Woman wherever you are!

P.S: If the Lord Calls you to go forth or start something, do not hold back! GO!

Grace and Peace,
Jo Deep

More articles by Jo Deep [wp-svg-icons icon=”point-down” wrap=”i”]

On Evangelism
On Spiritual Growth
Light of the World

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

About author

Articles

Tolulope Oludapo is a young Christian who lends his voice through the media by sharing practical wisdom for everyday living in the most experiential and simplified fashion. This has fetched him the direct followership of over 30,000 users on his blog, lifegiva.com. A blog he founded. He loves to write on varying subjects that affect life, faith, relationship...everyday living.
Related posts
Faith

How to Deal with Addictions: Stories from Real People

Addictions are hard to overcome. They can affect our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual…
Read more
Faith

Balancing Faith and Busy Schedules: 4 Practical Tips for Devotion

Do you struggle to find time for God in your hectic schedule? Do you feel guilty for not spending…
Read more
Faith

The Bible and Polygamy

Recently, popular Actor and movie producer- Yul Edochie, announced on social media that he has a son…
Read more
Newsletter
Become a Lifegiva

Get the laest articles, merch deals, personal Q&As, behind the scenes, unmissable news about Lifegiva and more!

Sign up for our Newsletter for new blog posts, tips & freebies. Let's stay updated!

0 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *