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- Everyone
must be somehow involved with missions.
If there is no live relationship
to the mission field, there is no ruling Lord.
One of the things the Holy Spirit
does when the heart is yielded, is to show the believer the lost
world. Unfortunately, the quiet, solid work of the Holy Spirit
is usually preempted today by much shallow, short-term interest
in short-term "missions".
The problem is not that the
Lord needs a long time to do a real work in a land, but the fact
is, He never does anything deep overnight. There are many believers
who give periods of time to serve alongside of those who are
long-term missionaries. That is wonderful.
- But no
depth nor Cross will come out of a group that whistles in and
out of an area in two years, or as is the case more often, a
matter of months. Many love to say they have been "missionaries"
when they have been somewhere for a year, maybe somewhere else
for a few months, and then they come home to spend the rest of
their lives completely apart from the desperate need of the vast
and crying unharvested.
- We
write to missionaries, visit them, raise money, pray for them,
and our church sends them out when there is evidence to those
in authority that God has called them. They must study the language
intensely and they must be willing to put roots down in the land
of God's choice.
The trips we make are frequent
and brief, and many like to ask me when I am going on another
missionary trip. But I am not a missionary. My life is definitely
in the fast current of missionary support, but if I compromise
the term, I will not recognize those who God has anointed for
missionary service.
There is a big difference.
People often squirm out of
responsibility by chanting that the whole world is a mission
field, and that you own back yard ought to be attended to before
doing something for someone thousands of miles away.
I will promise you that if
you begin to faithfully pray for and support a non-statistics
oriented missionary, your heart will be softened and you will
be tearfully aware of the lost in your neighborhood.
In an era of new-fangled, high-powered,
multi-media, quick and easy presentation, there is nothing
like the fruit of a soldier of the Cross who has left behind
the familiar and has been willing to experience a lifetime of
joys and sorrows for the sake of those who may not particularly
appreciate them.
- For those
who stay at home, support in prayer that is unflagging always
results in the sharing of the work prayed for.
Committed prayer for specific missionary
efforts is rare. And where that prayer is, you will find the
one who prays gives money. If it a quarter, it is the same to
the Lord as a million dollars, when it is given because of the
burden born in prayer.
I have also found that when there
are real prayers, they usually give far more than they
can "afford" and sooner or later, they will visit the
ones they love and have supported for so long. Often they will
help build, or help teach, but they will probably not call it
a mission trip.
Sentimentality is impressed by just about
everything and wants to imitate it all.
The Holy Spirit opens the eyes
and sends the fireman to deal with the fire!
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