Published by Mark Morris on 10 Apr 2018
The Missionary Call Not a Private Matter
How do you know you’re called to missions?
It’s almost a sacred ritual—the process by which someone came to understand that the Lord was calling them to the mission field. It usually involves being humbled by the Lord, growing in an affection for him and his glory, and feeling broken over the reality of people made in the image of God, dying in their sin without news of the gospel. As a result, it’s an intimate and deeply personal process.
Because it is personal, we are often quick to think it should be private. Who has the right to say you shouldn’t do what God has called you to? It can turn into a Ring you caress on your own, but hate to let anyone else examine.
What starts as a tender and precious experience of God’s graciousness in growing you turns into a bludgeon you can use in order to guard yourself from anyone telling you ‘no’ or ‘not yet’.
The danger with this approach is that while you may find yourself well-protected from ungodly discouragement from fellow Christians, you will also find yourself walled off from the godly wisdom of fellow Christians. Moving overseas, moving into places with little to no access to the gospel, these are decisions with tremendous costs. They shouldn’t be made lightly. And any Christian who cuts himself off from the input of mature believers who know him well is a Christian listening closely to Lady Folly.
Self-Affirmation is Insufficient
Add together the challenges of ministry, the challenges of cross-cultural ministry, and the fact that we are not all-wise, and we should quickly recognize the value and importance of the discerning counsel of fellow Christians.
