Being a Missionary - What Does it Take?
(taken primarily from Pratney’s ppt “Revolutionary Faith”)
This is really long and kind of skeletal—I’m mainly posting it for my resource but it is mostly from Winkie and I thought somebody else might find it useful.
You don’t become a missionary by crossing the sea, but by seeing the cross.
When God gets ready to again invade human history, He scatters the seed of people ‑ men and women of revolutionary faith.
You have been called to know Him and make Him known in the field of the world. [Mt. 13:24-43]
Four areas of preparation:
Mental - Preparing Your Mind
God is God and we are not. He is infinite and we are finite. Disciples are always learners.
No-one will ever be used of God until they are willing to LISTEN and LEARN.
You do not have to be brilliant, but you do have to be open and obedient.
The first requirement for a good leader is to LEARN TO BE A GOOD FOLLOWER
”Learn how to bury your own plans and ideas, allowing someone else to make decisions which you will wholeheartedly carry out. There is no room … for a person with all the answers.“ George Verwer, Founder O.M.
“Jesus increased in wisdom and stature …”
“Though He was the Son … He learned obedience by the things He suffered”
Physical - Preparing Your Body
God’s soldier must be physically healthy.
The mission‑field is an energy‑taxing task, one that requires a strong constitution.
Everyone who wants to be used of God should be involved in some sport or ongoing form of physical exercise to discipline their body for God.
Love him with your strength - develop a skill - don’t be lazy - self-discipline
Stick to the hard tasks: keep your room, dishes clean, etc.
Spiritual - Preparing Your Soul
Above all other training, you must be STRONG IN THE LORD. God has used the unlearned and ignorant, the physically weak and frail, but He can never use the unspiritual.
This will mean priority attention to the spiritual character of our lives. God is after what we will be, not just what we may be doing.
Study lives of others:
Are they wise to win souls?
Social - Preparing Your Relationships
It is tempting to defend your rights when things don’t go your way, when your roommate does something you don’t like, etc.
But if you are a disciple of Christ, and are in training for revolutionary faith ‑ you cannot afford the luxury of such sin! You must conquer through Christ, for unless you are changed you will never change your world.
MEMORIZE these two scriptures and let them burn into your daily life: “The Son of Man came not to be MINISTERED UNTO, but to MINISTER, and GIVE HIS LIFE a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45) and “Judge not that you be not judged” [Matt. 7:1]
How Do We Sum All This Up?
If you think of a male horse, he must be domesticated in one of two ways:
- One way is to emasculate the horse
- The other way is to change its will—it must be broken
- Brokenness is not misery, but submission.
- In short, the horse must be taken to a place where:
it hurts to disobey you,
and he can’t do it without you.
- Like working out, you tear the muscle so that you can grow.
- Jesus said he would prune the fruitful; when you think you have it down, hold on because he might prune you.
Brokenness -
- This sums up all the other qualities. Body, mind, social, and spiritual.
- Brokenness means you are His servant—He is not yours.
- Brokenness means a constant awareness of the One you carry—in EVERY area of life! - it means you can’t do it without him
- Think about How To Train Your Dragon - the dragon was trainable because it couldn’t fly without help - if we are missing something it is so that we can lean on God’s help—in our weakness He is strong
- This SHOULD affect EVERYTHING….making beds, seats on the bus, picking up trash, etc.
Mary of Bethany
Jesus had raised her brother from the dead!! She had reasons to be grateful.
If she is Mary Magdalene, as many think, she was also delivered from multiple demons and a life of sin. She knew she couldn’t live without him, and she would miss him
Talk about Heidi Baker’s book, share a few testimonies…
She started pouring….
The broken open jar represents us, and the perfume is the life we have to offer the world
Gideon and the flame in a jar—when we are broken the light of the world can get out
Feet Shod with Readiness
There are two amazing stories about feet in John 12 and John 13 (cf. Ephesians 6 for the meaning of feet)
- First, Mary of Bethany anoints his feet as a love-offering (cf. Luke 7:36-50)
- Second, Jesus washes his disciples’ feet
- Just as he was prepared and sent to the cross, they were being prepared, although they didn’t understand at the time.
Are You Broken?
If you are, he can ask you to do something, and you learn to do it without hesitating.
If you are still hesitating, ask him to teach you brokenness
If you are, you learn to find a need a meet it—it is not about feet washing it is about doing the hard things—it is about doing the thing that no one else wanted to do.
- When you do, don’t gloat over someone that God taught you to do it—consider it a love-offering because you were forgiven.
11 months ago