Everyone Has a Mission Field of Their Own

Our church conducted its annual mission conference this past weekend, with more than two-dozen missionaries from different parts of the world participating. All could attest to the joys and difficulties of adjusting to new cultures and languages – and personal sacrifices – for the privilege of taking the message of Jesus Christ to people who need to hear about Him.

Having gone on short-term ministry trips to countries in Central and South America and Europe, I’ve had brief exposure to what those experiences are like, but I’ve never been “all-in” in the sense of relocating geographically for an extended period of time. I have great respect and admiration for the men and women, often with their families, that leave the comforts of home to answer God’s call for service in a foreign culture.

 

One thing I’ve learned, however, is we don’t necessarily have to venture beyond the borders of the United States to serve as missionaries. In fact, we don’t have to leave our own state, or even our own city. 

 

Yes, in Mark 16:15 we read about Jesus Christ instructing His disciples to “Go into all the world and preach the Good News [the gospel] to everyone.” And Jesus’ final command to His followers, before ascending to heaven, was, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20).

 

However, “all the world” and “all nations” doesn’t just mean people living in distant lands. It includes folks in your neighborhood, the office down the hall, the person sitting next to you in the classroom, someone you engage in conversation while shopping, or even in your own church. More than one authority on evangelism has said the easiest place to find unsaved people in within the walls of the church – those who know how to go through the motions but have not yet come to know the Savior.

 

Historically there’s been a mystique about people working in remote mission fields, as if they are somehow “super-Christians.” As I’ve already said, those who give up so much to become foreign missionaries are special people who deserve our prayers and financial support. But our own missionary responsibilities don’t stop there.

 

The late Jim Petersen, who wrote numerous books about personal evangelism and discipleship, spent many years as a missionary in Brazil and other countries. He told about one experience while on board a ship heading across the Atlantic Ocean to Africa. During the voyage he encountered some young adults whom he learned were headed for another country to become missionaries there.

 

Very interested, Petersen asked to learn more about their assignments. Then he made an inquiry that caught the eager young people by surprise. “How many people did you lead to Jesus Christ while you were still in the States?” After a brief pause, they answered, “Well, no one.”

 

Tactfully but directly, Petersen responded with a bit of amazement. How could they expect to introduce people to Jesus Christ in a strange land, having to overcome the obstacles of language and culture, if they couldn’t effectively share their faith with people they knew in their own country, without linguistic and cultural barriers?

 

Perhaps it’s natural to romanticize going to reach the “heathen” in other parts of the globe, but there are countless individuals and families in our own communities who need to hear a loving, caring presentation of the gospel message. Just because Bibles are plentiful and readily available in the U.S.A., that doesn’t mean everyone has heard the message of Jesus Christ – at least in a clear, meaningful way.

 

My friend Ken for several decades led a ministry for business owners and executives. To each new member he gave a sign they could display atop the door frame inside their office door. It read, “You are now entering the mission field.” What a great reminder! Because whether it’s employees, customers, suppliers, or others we encounter over the course of a typical workday, we’re bound to find some who have never heard of the saving grace and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ. If we’re paying attention and willing to be used by God, you or I could be the person God uses to tell them about the Good News.

 

A wonderful Bible passage applies here. After the declaration, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13), we read the following challenge:

“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” (Romans 10:14-15).

 

This undoubtedly applies to men and women serving in foreign mission fields. But it also relates to us right where we live. In a world with more confusing, conflicting messages than ever, most people won’t simply wander into a church building looking for answers to the perplexing questions of life. 

Throughout history, God has used ordinary people to tell others, to “preach” the gospel message. Who knows? Yours might be the “beautiful feet” that go to someone down the street or to another part of the building to help that person discover a life-changing relationship with Christ. 

Not ‘Just a Layman’

We all, to one extent or another, think about status. In school we see smarter, more studious classmates earning the lion’s share of recognition and rewards. High-performing athletes receive applause for their accomplishments. In the workplace, pay raises, bonuses and promotions are based at least in part on how we rank among our peers in the quality and quantity of our work.

Parents proudly display bumper stickers on vehicles to proclaim their children are honor students at such-and-such school. They watch and listen as their offspring perform at various functions – dance or instrumental recitals, athletic competitions, even spelling bees – and take note of their children’s standing compared to those of their friends.

We rate ourselves according to the cars we drive, houses we own, portfolios we accumulate, vacations we take, even places where we eat. We can equate much of what we do in terms of status – perceptions of who we are.

Where did we ever get the idea that legitimate
spiritual service must be confined to a
sanctuary or religious facility?

Life in the spiritual realm, I’ve noticed, can be very similar. I attended a Christian institution’s send-off for young people advancing to the next level in their academic climb. The speaker gave the customary challenge, encouraging them to lofty aspirations, suggesting roles such as pastors, missionaries, even business people – adding the latter can contribute financial resources to support various ministries.

I’m sure the speaker meant well, but it seemed implied that pastors and missionaries – those engaged in vocational ministry roles – rank as the elite in the institutional church realm. They are holders of the greatest status. Everyone else, as a business friend described himself to me years ago, is “just a layman.”

That perception lacks biblical support, however. Years ago we attended a church where at the close of the worship service, people regularly walked forward to declare their commitment to “full-time Christian service.” This always confused me, since there is no such thing as a part-time follower of Jesus Christ (either you are or you aren’t), and as His followers we’re each called to serve God and other people. Sure sounds like full-time Christian service to me.

Yes, I know these fine people meant they were determined to give their lives to pursuits such as preaching, working full-time with specific segments of the congregation, or expressing their willingness to venture to a foreign land, live in an alien culture and learn to speak an unfamiliar language, all in the name of telling other people about Jesus.

There’s nothing wrong with any of those things. What troubles me is the perception that if you’ve not done any of those, you’re somehow a second-class citizen in God’s kingdom.

I remember having lunch with a business executive who told me, “I’d do anything to go full-time for God.” Looking him in the eyes, I asked, “Why do you think you haven’t already done that?”

A good friend works with business owners and top executives, meeting with them monthly to encourage them to live their lives and conduct their businesses in a manner that honors God and upholds the truths, values and principles of the Scriptures. To remind them that as business people, they have a high calling from God to serve their customers, employees and suppliers in His name, my friend gives each leader a little sign they can affix to the inside of their office doors. Walking out they can read, “You are now entering the mission field.”

Somehow we’ve been seduced by the notion that if you’re really serious about God, you need to attend a seminary, get a degree, and then have people refer to you “the reverend” or “pastor” or “sister.” I once thought that myself, and appreciate people that qualify for such titles, but the Bible doesn’t make this distinction. For His closest followers, Jesus chose lowly fishermen, tradesmen, even a despised tax collector. The author of one gospel, Luke, was a physician, not a clergyman. None of them attended Jerusalem Theological Seminary, nor did any hold diplomas from Bethlehem Bible College.

Jesus told His followers, “...let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). That exhortation meant any good works, not only those performed in a religious context.

Later, the apostle Paul wrote, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men…. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23-24). Again, he didn’t offer these remarks at a graduation of seminarians or commissioning ceremony for foreign missionaries; he was writing to every follower of Jesus in the ancient city of Colossae.

So next time you’re tempted to spiritually demean your vocational role, whether as a teacher, engineer, grocery clerk, corporate executive, burger flipper or business manager, and the thought, “I’m just a layman,” crosses your mind, remember: You – and every worker that professes the name of Jesus Christ – are in full-time Christian service!