March 4, 2002

WARNING: THIS EMAIL CONTAINS STRONG CHRISTIAN LANGUAGE AND MAY OFFEND SOME READERS!

Dear Friends,

Since my time is quickly running out here in Southeast Asia, I'd like to challenge all of you about your personal involvement in missions.

Many of you may not consider yourselves cut out for mission work.  And that's the mentality I want to challenge.  Too often we as Christians hide behind excuses like, "I'm not called to missions, therefore I'm not going."

I want to prod you to change your thinking, at least for just a few moments.  Assume that God has already called you.  The Bible says, "Go therefore and make disciples of all 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; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Mt 28:19-20).  Instead of saying, "I'm not going unless I'm called," why not say, "I'm going unless the door closes"?

Garry Friesen said, "Rather than waiting for some kind of mystical 'call' from God, every believer should respond to the revealed will of God by giving serious considering to becoming a cross-cultural missionary" (Decision Making and the Will of God, 330).  Now there's something to think about.

Too often we're comfortable just giving money, feeling like we've done our part.  "Let the real missionaries do the rest," some think.  You and I are the real missionaries because you and I are real ministers. 

Every missionary I know has given up something or someone important to them in order to get on the field.  I've known some to give up six-digit salaries.  But I think the biggest sacrifice any of them ever make is leaving their family and friends.  All missionaries have felt the pain of being away from family and friends, but they stay on the field anyway.  Why?

Because they realized what Jim Elliot said was true, "He is no fool who gives up what he can't keep to gain what he can't lose."  One minute of heaven will make up for every sacrifice on earth (Mark 10:29-30; Rom 8:18).  Besides, many missionaries love living overseas.

Whether you're a teenager, young adult, senior citizen, house wife, college student, factory worker, or pastor, I challenge you to go overseas in the next year.  It doesn't matter whether it's only for two weeks or two months, just go.  Then, after you've had that experience, you can make a more intelligent decision about your future involvement with missions.  Don't say you're not called if you've never even made an effort to go.  That's just cowardice!

I encourage you to give up the American dream, the extra house, the extra cars, a retirement wasted on a golf course.  Embrace the biblical vision of spreading the fame of Christ to the unreached (Rom 10:14-21; 15:20-21).

My goal in this letter is not to make you feel guilty, but to challenge you to think again about missions and your responsibility in it.  This letter is a bit strong, because many churches are a bit weak. 

Pressing on,

Kevin L. Howard

Some things hinder people from embracing missions work.  Let me briefly consider a few hindrances.

Fear

Many people fear going overseas to minister.  "Oh Lord, please don't send me overseas…anything but that."  But fear is never an adequate reason for not obeying.  Most soldiers testify to being afraid on the battlefield, yet they do what they're trained to do, fears and all. 

Reject the lies Satan tells you about why you'd be a failure on the mission field.  You'll never know until you try.

1. Pray that God raise up missionaries from your own congregation and make yourself available to go.

2. See missions in the bigger picture of God's plan for spreading his fame.  Mission work isn't an end in itself.  Glorifying Christ is.