Wednesday, January 28, 2009

10 Sure Fire Ways to Avoid Being A Missionary...


Livingstone as a Missionary Reads the Bible to African Natives
print from allposters.com


1. Ignore Jesus' request in John 4:35
that we take a long hard look at the fields.
Seeing the needs of people

can be depressing and very unsettling.
It could lead to genuine missionary concern.


2. Focus your energies on
socially legitimate targets.
Go after a bigger salary.
Focus on getting a job promotion, a bigger home,
a more luxurious car, or future financial security.
Along the way, run up some big credit card debts.


3. Get married to somebody who thinks
the Great Commission is what your employer
gives you after you make a big sale.
After marriage, embrace the socially accepted norms of
settling down, establishing a respectable career trajectory
and raising a picture-perfect family.


4. Stay away from missionaries.
Their testimonies can be disturbing.
The situations they describe will distract you from embracing
whole-heartedly the materialistic lifestyle of your home country.


5. If you happen to think about missions,
restrict your attention to countries where it's
impossible to openly do missionary work.
Think only about North Korea,
Saudi Arabia, and other closed countries.
Forget the vast areas of our globe open to missionaries.


6. Think how bad a missionary you would be
based on your own past failures.
It is unreasonable to expect you will ever be any better.
Don't even think about Moses, David, Jonah,
Peter or Mark, all of whom overcame failures.


7. Always imagine missionaries as talented,
super-spiritual people who stand on lofty pedestals.
Maintaining this image of missionaries
will heighten your own sense of inadequacy.
Convincing yourself that God does not use ordinary people
as missionaries will smother any guilt you may feel about
refusing to even listen for a call from God.


8. Agree with the people who tell you
that you are indispensable where you are.
Listen when they tell you that your local church
or home country can't do without you.


9. Worry incessantly about money.


10. If you still feel you must go, go out right away
without any preparation or training.
You'll soon be home again and no one
can ever blame you for not trying!



I found this list in Mom's documents and wanted to share
It was originally shared at Standing in the Gap



It was great timing when the Lord let me read this!
My passion for going to the mission field,
I admit, can sometimes get rather small,
even though I know the Lord's called me
and I've made that commitment.
It's sad how so many times Satan tries to
distract us with our own desires .

Even ones that may not seem, necessarily, 'bad'.

For example, I thought it would be nice
to be a nuclear chemist working with
radioactivity and extensive energy research.
Does that seem bad? No... not really.
However, it's NOT what I know God's called me to do!
It's my own selfish desire!
I know that I need to be constantly on my knees begging
Him to keep my soul on fire and to avoid distractions.

I've heard of too many people (so many)

that know the Lord's called them somewhere,
but they've gotten distracted and never went.
I pray very hard I do not become the part of the 90%
who say God's calling them, but go their own way.

I strongly encourage others to really seek God's will.
Teen years( and even before and after) is a very important
time to be seeking and determining what God is calling us to do.
Who knows, maybe He's calling you to a mission field?
The question is, if He is, am I willing to 'die to myself' and go?

Let's not take the advice of the above 10 points...
I'm sure they'll keep anyone out of the mission field!


"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world,
and preach the gospel to every creature."
Mark 16:15


"Say not ye, There are yet four months,
and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you,
Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields;
for they are white already to harvest."
Luke 4:35


10 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's wonderful to see that there are other young ladies out there with a passion for missions! There is such a huge need for mission-minded women in this world. This was very encouraging!

Brittany Watson said...

Hi Miss Ally,

That was very nice! I really enjoyed it.

LOL, No that wasn't snow! HAHA, although we did have some last Tuesday! (Thanks for bringing it down here! You ought to go up there more often!!! JK)

Brittany

Anonymous said...

Dear Alexandra,

Thank you for your comment! I am glad that you have a heart for missions. Have you read Revolution in World Missions by K. P. Yohannan? It’s a book I highly recommend. You can get it for free here: http://www.gfa.org/

Also, have you heard of Operation World? It is a wonderful reference book! It shows the percentage of Christians and a lot of other information for every country in the world. It really helps to be able to know which areas are the most unreached. It also helps as a guide to praying for countries.

The bread you made looks good! Thanks for sharing the recipe. I should try it sometime :).

Love,
Alyssa

LivingforGod said...

Great post. Great list. I believe the Great Commission is God's will for every Christian. In my opinion, all Christ's followers are called to be involved in the Great Commission...either by going, sending, or praying. How can we ignore the fact that every single day, people all over the world die and go to hell without knowing Christ? How can we make any excuses and do nothing about it?

Living in the light of eternity,
Mrs. Liljequist

A.N said...

I love your blog! You have inspired me to start one up myself as a testimony to my faith. I was curious to know what denomination you belong to? Or what church you attend?

may God Bless~

Anonymous said...

We are getting ready for our Faith Promise Missions Conference at church next month. I'm always so excited to hear what the various missionaries have to share. It is such a good reminder to me to be faithful in my own mission field. Thanks for sharing! :)
-Becca

Princess0479 said...

Ally Hi thanks so much for your refreshing blog..Oh how true it is HOW TRUE that we make excuses not to go and not to do missions :)
I am obeying God though this year, in a way this is a safe missions trip for me because i've gone before to New Orleans last year, BUT I still feel God calling me back, i think i left a part of my heart in New Orleans last year..i did so much construction work and talking to folks.it was simply amazing, i might do this each year :))
One day though i feel God is calling me to Africa..pray for me to find peace about that and to obey when God's call comes :))

also thanks so much for the other post about God's letter(the word of God) being most important :))
thank you for all your posts!
You are wise beyond your years..You are wise honey, i praise and thank God for the parents that raised such a wonderful daughter of Christ :))

if you want to chat you can always email me at janect_2004@yahoo.com

take care and thank you for your blog :))

Blessings & hugs always!

Sorry this was so long!

To God be all glory!

In Him, Jane.

Anonymous said...

I came to your blog from a friends'-- and now I have another favorite! =)

Oh, thank you, thank you for that post on the Great Commission!! I love that! My life purpose since very young has been to serve in a foreign country. I'm thrilled to find someone else out there who's also "obedient to the heavenly vision"!! It relevant too, cause my family is just preparing to leave for a missions conference in PA tomorrow.

And, thanks too for the convicting post on letters!! That's a big weakness for me!

In Christ's Great Cause-- To Do or Die,
with Love,
~Sarah Ruth

Jordan said...

Hi Ally I don't know what you are and aren't allowed to read, and I can see you have the intelligence to never read anything your parents would not want you reading. But if you are allowed, the book "Do Hard Things" by Alex and Brett Harris is pretty good. It's not all about missions, but just about doing great things in the teen years. It would encourage you I'm sure if it's something you can read.

Jordan said...

Lol Ally sorry I left my husbands login in these comments and didn't realize it. This is Mrs W who reads your moms blog...hope you don't think a man was reading a single young ladies blog lol.

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