What is a missionary?

Missions and Tourism
Many times we have mistaken missions for tourism. It seems the occupation of "missionary" has been idolized for too long. Spending a week in Ileb Resettlement Camp has helped me better understand aspects of missions, poverty, and purity. Ileb consists mostly of the ButBut tribal people from the mountains who have been relocated by the government to the lowlands. Currently they have no electricity, no running water, and land that is unfit for productive farming.

Partial Missions
In Ileb, I stayed with the leader of the community and his family. The daughter of the family was the elementary teacher who could speak English, so I was able to ask questions and hold extended conversations. The daughter had passed up a better paying job in the city to stay and work in her own community in an ill-supplied class room with classes grouped together. The teacher sometimes made comments about missionaries having big hearts. To her, and many others, a missionary is defined as a person who travels to a foreign country and does "good" deeds. She was doing "good" things in her own community. So what differentiates what she does from what I do?

Travel Trophies
During my time in Ileb, some leaders from a mission's organization showed up. I felt a little embarrassed as they hopped off the van and started snapping pictures of the "poor" tribal villagers, taking pictures of the insides of their homes (which the villagers feel very embarrassed about), their children and their old people. I often feel embarrassed when there is a large group of westerners in a poverty area. It suddenly seems I have become one of the paying visitors at the poor people's zoo. Photos are taken for their scrapbook titled "look how hardcore and brave I am." These scrapbooks make great conversational pieces in the social circles of the western world. I, too, find myself in this "missionary mentality," writing home to family and friends, displaying the wonderful, brave and spiritual things I have done and seen. Oh, we have so much pride. We are willing to walk through the streets of Welfareville (where sewage runs through the streets and some children are so malnourished, they look like victims of the concentration camps) and take pictures and tell friends, but are we willing to clear a day and hang out with the people there, play basketball with the youth or play a game of tag with the children while we shake their hands, eat their food and step out of our comfort zones? Are we able to point at the people in our pictures and give their name and what THEY talked and laughed about that day? Can you point to the other persons and tell THEIR story, or have our two week outreaches become no more than a potential travel trophy?

There is Something More
Maybe many people's idea of missions needs a little revamping. How do churches and organizations operate their missions program? What should the main focus of missions be? How does our personal life reflect Christ’s commission for missions? How involved have you become in the activity of the missions dept. in your church? Do you know how the missions fund is being spent? How much goes toward travel expenses, conferences, paperwork versus actual projects, the poor and advancing the kingdom?

Missions is Restoration
By simply being around the poor, we will have many things (especially money) asked from us. Does missions mean handouts? Maybe that's too broad of a question to ask. One thought is that, biblically, we should give regardless of what is asked of us. Jesus taught if someone takes your coat; give them your shirt also (Luke 6:27-36). So how do you, or better yet, how did Jesus respond to people who asked things of him? Jesus came to give life, to restore a people back to their Creator and Father God. I can’t find a place in the gospels where Jesus actually gave money to the beggars. Maybe because it was his daily routine to give or he had given all he had to the poor already and lived daily by faith. Maybe it’s that Jesus looked past the outward and saw the inner need of the people. He saw their true inner poverty and need for restoration of the body, soul and spirit. This could be why we do find numerous times he healed them, forgave their sins and spoke the WORD of God into their lives. So, do we give to those who ask? Yes. The Bible is clear on this. "Do not say to your neighbor 'come back later; I’ll give it tomorrow' -- when you now have it with you" (Prov.3:28). "One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another man withholds unduly, but comes to poverty..." (Prov. 11:24). If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered (Prov. 21:13). "...the righteous give without sparing..." (Prov. 21:26b).

Heart Issues
The main point is that we should not be closed-handed to the needy. Many times people say the homeless "will use their money for alcohol or drugs" or try to use the verse "don't cast your pearls before swine" as an excuse not to give. I think it really goes deeper to a heart issue. Do you hold onto your money, possessions and time and try to justify your greedy heart? Spending time with the homeless, I can say that not everyone is cheating you out of that pocket change they make a living on. I have seen the children sick and malnourished from not having enough to eat, fathers that collect trash all day to get enough for a small amount of rice for one or two meals for their family, young women that die on the streets from TB because there is no one to help them (and the stories go on and on...). The issue really is our heart. We cannot serve God and money (Matt. 6:24). So are we making excuses not to give to those who ask, or are we able to provide for their need of companionship for an hour, provide money to feed their children, help with funeral expenses, hospital expenses, clean their wounds from infection, walk with them through restoration from sickness to health and healing, from depression to joy, from suicidal thoughts to life. What is it God has given you to give to others? If you say you are doing these things, is it out of love for the people? If you give a dollar to missions and you hate the poor in your heart, your money means nothing. (for more examples read the parable of the *good Samaritan (Luke 10:25+), * story of the widow’s penny (Mark 12:41+), *story of the rich ruler (Luke 18:18+), *story of the cost of being a disciple (Luke 14:25+), and who it is that Jesus welcomes into the kingdom of heaven (Matt 25:35+). Each tells of giving without reservation and bringing restoration to the needy. Restoration is bringing the kingdom of God to man.

Missions is Bringing the Kingdom of God
Now that I have said what missions is not, let me give the Biblical definition missions. Missions is what Jesus did. His life consisted of bringing the Kingdom of God to the people. It’s not enough to just do good deeds. Jesus could have just done good deeds, but His death would have been in vain. He came proclaiming repentance and forgiveness of sins and the preparation of the coming Kingdom of God. His death was His seal of the promise of forgiveness of sins so people could see the Kingdom of God.

The Gospel of the Kingdom
This is the Gospel that was spoken of in Matthew 24:14 that will be proclaimed and preached in every nation. It proclaims the coming of the King, Jesus the Messiah. Yeshua, the Son of God who has taken away the sins of the world. The term "missionary" implies that certain people are to proclaim the kingdom. Are we not all called to preach repentance and forgiveness of sins in Jesus’ name to all nations? This is the Gospel of the Kingdom; that Jesus came to redeem our souls from hell, so repent from your sins, turn from your wicked ways, believe in Jesus and you will be forgiven and received into the Kingdom of God. It sounds simple, but do our good deeds get in the way of our mouths proclaiming this? Only God can prepare a person’s heart. He uses us many times to speak the Word of God to them, drawing them to the Father. "All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me (Jesus). Therefore (you disciples) go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing (that follows repentance) them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matt. 28:18+).