Becoming a Christian Missionary

[Jupiter Drops]

So I'm realizing now why lately I desire to be with God more than anything and to serve Him with all my heart. I'm still imperfect, but it seems like God really wants to train me up to take His work.

This kind of desire was there in me a year ago or so, when I finally understood Christ's desire for His people. After that, I longed to be with God more. I even asked our church minister's wife if it was a good idea for me to go to a theology school and become a pastor. She advised me that although it was a wonderful idea, I should also consider if whether or not if this desire comes from my fleeting passions or from God. I also wondered if I would make a good pastor material, and I understood from God that becoming a pastor was not who I should be.

I want to go and serve. But I'm wondering if getting an arts degree is suitable enough to become a Christian missionary.

Does anyone have any advice on becoming a Christian missionary?

 

[Sketcher]

Basically, the most important thing I have been told is that you need to be flexible and lose all sense of entitlement. Most countries are not as well off as ours, and people will be offering you their best, but it is well below what we would consider decent - this is in terms of food, accommodation, etc. You need to be very patient, very flexible, very humble, and not be selfish at all if you are going to be a good missionary. You need to be a good guest in a foreign culture. Not everybody can do that.

 

[gideon123]

"Does anyone have any advice on becoming a Christian missionary?"

i have only done short-term missions, but I have been doing them for a long time. I would definitely say that the times spent overseas serving God have been some of the greatest experiences of my life. However, I don't use the word "greatest" in the same way as when people say for example ... "I just got back from the Bahamas and it was the greatest!". I have seen enormous poverty, a lot of suffering, and many things that made me think deeply about the world. So i would say that serving God was great because it taught me to completely re-evaluate all my priorities.

I suggest that you prepare steadily.

Most Americans are ill-equipped to live overseas, esp. in third world countries. All of the things that we take for granted in this country may be missing, and essential skills that you do need - are often not taught anywhere. So you must really challenge yourself to be very resourceful, to make do with simple things and little money, and to prepare daily necessities from scratch.

Culture and languages - you can learn. Take a couple of short-term trips while you are in college, so you can see countries firsthand.

Remember that in the end you go to work with a country and its people out of a genuine love for them. That love really does have to be in your heart. All kinds of other reasons are good, but like the Apostle Paul said ...
"If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. "

right now ... PRAY that God will open some doors for you.
He will!!!

good luck!
send me a pm if you want more info.

gideon123

 

[BFine]

"Our" daughter's family are currently serving as missionaries to a village in
Indonesia.

Where she, her husband and 4 children are stationed, there's typhoid, severe lice
and worm infestions. 2 of our little grandchildren had to have their heads shaved
because their lice was so bad and good thing that their heads were shaved because both
of them had worms beneath their scalps!

We have to express ship them the medications because they can't use the outdated meds
that are available in the village.

The poverty there is extreme-- proper sanitation is non-existent, they have water but you can't drink it, they purchase fresh drinking water each month.

You can get all the education that you want, you can learn all kinds of prayer etc.
until you are in a third world country and living amongst the Islamic people you
have no idea what real spiritual oppression and demonic attacks are!

We have done a lot of praying, long-distant hand-holding for "our" children, we have
cried over and grieved with them. They are being put through hell down there!
They have braved many battles and they haven't even been there 6 months yet!

Our courageous family in Indonesia are hanging on by the grace/power of God
and their devotion to giving the people there the Good News of the Gospel.

If God is calling you to go to a third world country and you have read my post
and your response is still, "Here I am Lord, send me to a third world country so
I can reach those lost souls for you."
Get yourself in contact with missions group that is available in your area.
Our daughter and husband are with Sharing the Love of Christ through Aviation and Technology - Mission Aviation Fellowship

 

[Ark100]

'You can get all the education that you want, you can learn all kinds of prayer etc.
until you are in a third world country and living amongst the Islamic people you
have no idea what real spiritual oppression and demonic attacks are!'


And not just among islamic people, even among some self-professed christians and non believers. Going to third world country for mission work is something The Lord has to actually call you to do for some of the reasons stated above. That is why I always stress to people who want to pack up and go there, even some of them do not have any calling or heard anything from God about it yet. Is not a good idea if they have not heard from God. Because if something bad happens to them, they may not have anyone to blame.

Even when you have heard from God about it, there is a process of moulding and breaking down that the Lord will put you through, mentally and emotionally that you will know He is the one doing these works in you.
Really pray and seek the face of God if this is your desire. It may be what He wants for you but you have to be spiritually ready to go to third world countries and places that have more spiritual activities going on than our western world.

 

[BFine]

Right you are Ark!

"Our" daughter and her husband spent a couple of yrs. going through
the process, tests, mental and physical exams etc. and there were so
many steps/levels for them to complete. The last year of it they had to
get out and raise their monthly support, their monthly support is: six
thousand dollars to keep them in Indonesia...they worked their fannies
off looking for sponsors...at last they got their support-- praise the Lord!

They are in language school and it is grueling because their children are
out of school now and they have to look after their 4 children and learn
the language. Their youngest child is one yr. old and the oldest is 7.

 

[ChrisHolland619]

My advice is start local.

You don't need to go to Africa or Japan or Switzerland to spread the Gospel of Christ.

People are dying every single minute in your own neighborhood and going to HELL for all eternity. Go tell THEM about the Gospel of Christ, show Christ your servant's heart, and then let Him lead you.

Go doorknocking. Go canvasing. Go spread the word neighborhood by neighborhood, street by street. They deserve Christ just as much as anyone.

"But, people don't like it if you knock on their doors! It irritates them! I don't want to upset them!"

"For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ." Galatians 1:10

"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." Matthew 6:24

You cannot aim to please man and please God at the same time. You please God, let God take care of the rest.

 

[webman1200]

I'm a group leader of online missionaries for Global Media Outreach. Here's how it works:

People (worldwide) do online searches about God, Jesus, the Bible, etc., and go to a GMO website that has info about what they searched for.

They can then fill out a contact form, including their spiritual decision, and questions or comments.

Those e-mails are then sent to the online missionaries, where they reply to them.

Messages can range from people who just got saved, to looking to be saved, to wanting to grow in their relationship with God, to other various questions. Being an online missionary can be a real challenge at times, depending on the questions people ask.

I learned how to share my faith through Evangelism Explosion.