First, what is a missionary? He is one that is sent with a message especially to another people or country.
Was Jesus sent? Jesus said, “I have come down from heaven … to do the will of him who sent me.” (John 6:38)
Did Jesus have a message? Jesus said, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God”. (Luke 4:43) Not only did he preach the message, he was the message! The word became flesh.
Did Jesus go to another country? Jesus came down from heaven’s glory, not just to another country but to another world! In fact at Christmas we celebrate his coming!
That’s great, but what does that have to do with me? When Jesus gave the Great Commission, did it apply to you and me? Did he charge our church, or just other churches? Is it part of our responsibility as Christians or is it optional? If we want to be like Jesus, we will be missionary people, not just in name, but in deed and action.
We have seen so many times WWJD: What would Jesus do? We see so vividly in the life of Jesus that he would pray, he would go, he would send. The real question now is WWWD: What will WE do?
“Do you know someone who needs this?” I was talking on the phone to a friend who is very active in serving the community. Her office was putting together a wonderful Thanksgiving basket, and she was wondering if I knew a family in need. My heart was warmed by the thoughtfulness, but as I hung up I wondered, “What about April?” I began to think about our churches and how we get excited about doing special projects during this season. That’s a good thing. But what about April? Don’t people need to eat in April? Or February or May?
We must be careful about taking a project approach to our ministry. We cannot be content to do just enough to make us feel better that we did a good deed. That shows concern but not commitment. Just as when we work we want a regular paycheck, the work of ministry requires regular giving to the church and from the church. As we come to the end of one year and start to plan for the next, let us think about how we can move our home and global mission from a project to a passion, something that we are committed to every month of the year, including April.
Have you ever shown up at an event and found everybody was really dressed up, except you? Or perhaps someone showed up at the door of your home unexpectedly and you were not properly dressed to answer the door. That's an awkward feeling!
If Jesus were to knock on our door today and invite us to the Annual Missions Banquet, would we be dressed and ready to go? Would our churches show up at the event grossly underdressed or well suited for the occasion? What do you think of Dr. Johnson’s take on this question?
I see African American mission efforts in a light similar to that of the narcissistic emperor from Hans Christian Anderson’s tale who hired a tailor to make him some fine clothes. Everyone in his fiefdom was afraid to speak against this ruler. His tailor weaved him a fine suit of clothes made of nothing. The emperor was very impressed by his fine figure, and went on to parade his naked frame in public completely oblivious of his nakedness. … No one would dare tell him he was naked except one bold little boy. This brought much shame of the emperor, but it did awaken him to his brazen, egotistical ways. The black church in America, like the emperor, has no clothes when it comes to mission work overseas (Making the Blind Man Lame, Dr. Michael Johnson, p. 19).
As an African American missionary, Dr. Johnson has great reason for this perspective. Over his many years of missionary service as a surgeon in Kenya, the folks on the mission field keep asking him, “Where are the African American brothers?”
I have been to lots of African American churches of various denominations. And I know that we know how to dress up and look good for service. But, when it comes to Great Commission service, do we have our swagger going on, as the young people say these days, or are we underdressed?
How are we to reach those living in countries which restrict missionary access? One approach is business as missions (BAM), or as it has been traditionally called tentmaking. Tentmaking may often be understood to refer to the economic factor: a missionary being financially self-supporting. However, tentmaking is not about money! It is about God and finding new ways of revealing God’s glory to the ends of the earth.
Jesus says, “Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19) Jesus is still seeking fishers of men; some are to leave their nets, and others are to bring their nets with them! Business as missions is a wonderful opportunity for those looking to use their skills and talents to reach the otherwise inaccessible unreached. It is using daily-life strategies to tell people about Jesus, giving the lost a good look, and often a first look, at who Jesus really is.
To find out more about or prepare to engage in business as missions see Patrick Lai’s most helpful and practical book: Tentmaking: Business as Missions
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