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6 Reasons Why You Probably Aren’t a Missionary

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Many of you are thinking, “I don’t even want to be a missionary!” I have news for anyone who calls themselvesĀ a Christian. God considers each of us a missionary. He sent Himself to us. Now He is sending us to others.

What got me thinking about this is a lot of the news describing the lines of division between people groups. Not only in America, but around the world.

These lines are drawn along things like race, sexual orientation, “the haves and have nots’, religion, political leanings, what family you are from etc.

My worldview

I have a simple worldview. There is a Creator God who holds all things together. His act of creation spun this world into motion. He not only continues to hold His creation together, He also pursues anyone and everyone. However, there is another Person whose chief aim is to destroy all that God has created. He does everything in his power to divide and pull apart what God intends to hold together.

What I find interesting is God chose for us to be His ambassadors; His missionaries. He chose to send us to others with the Good News of who He is.

A missionary is anyone who is sent with a message of good news into a culture or people group different than their own.

That usually means going to another country, but it can also mean going somewhere within your own country, community, or even across the street.

So if God thinks that all of us who call ourselves Christians are missionaries, then why aren’t we?

Here are 6 Reasons You Probably Aren’t a Missionary:

  1. You don’t like hearing foreign languages.Ā I studied Spanish through middle and high school, but I grew up in Texas. I heard Spanish all the time. Even if I didn’t understand the language, it sounds familiar to me. Then when I was about 45, I began traveling to East Asia. That was a completely different experience. I happen to enjoy learning a new language, but for many, they don’t even like hearing it. If that’s the case with you, you won’t even consider getting to know someone if you can’t understand their language.
  2. You don’t try to understand people who are different than you.Ā If they listen to different kinds of music, eat different food, enjoy different entertainment, have a different religion, political view…does that end any chance for you to engage them in a friendship much less a conversation?
  3. You don’t like anything new in your life.Ā Do you like to keep everything the same? You’ve got life figured out, so why change anything? Not a bad way to live if you aren’t sent into the world.
  4. You don’t like people who have a different worldview.Ā Not only do you not try to understand them, you just don’t like them. And you let it known that you don’t like them. You have not-so-nice names for people who are different than you. I am not saying that you agree with everyone, but if you’re dislike is preventing you from even engaging them, you’re probably not a missionary.
  5. You are afraid of people different than yourself.Ā Your fear that they might hurt you, negatively influence you, rub off on you, etc. will definitely keep you from knowing them.
  6. You think it is someone else’s mission.Ā Maybe none of the first 5 reasons describe you. You simply don’t think it is your mission or “calling”. Well, again, God says it’s your mission.

Notice a pattern? How many times is the word different found in that list?

A missionary many times is simply a Good Samaritan. They do good for those…

  • They don’t know.
  • They don’t understand.
  • They don’t like.

If this generation of Christians doesn’t respond to the call to live life as missionaries, God will raise up another until He accomplishes His mission.

About the Author

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I am a longtime Austinite. Married my beautiful wife over 35 years ago. Adopted our son September 2012.
As a small business and nonprofit coach/consultant, I have found my sweet spot. I lean on my varied background of corporate, small business ownership, writing, and pastoring as I work to help small business owners and nonprofit founders build the business they want to have.


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