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UNDERSTANDING FOREIGN MISSIONS
Missions are God’s given assignments to
his people to take message of salvation to people that have not heard of it. The command is to preach the gospel to all
nations so that there will not be excuse on that day that I did not hear. There
are many places in the world that is still hidden to the gospel of Christ. It
becomes imperative that we should take the gospel there. We cannot be
comfortable where we are and there are
nations that are closed to the gospel. The gospel you are enjoying today,
someone paid the price by bringing it . Some died on the way to Africa, Asia,
they did not even get there, some came and died as a result of tropical
diseases. The souls in the unreached
parts of the world are crying for salvation on a daily basis but our ears are
deafening. Foreign mission is simply taking the gospel outside your country.
There are many mission boards and agencies recruiting missionaries across the
world. They are ever in need of missionaries because the harvest is plenty but
the labourers are few.
Foreign
mission is not something you embark on because you are called to be a
missionary. Not all missionaries will serve in a foreign land. Some will serve
in home mission fields. Serving in home
missions does not make you inferior to someone serving on foreign missions.
There must be a burden for the country you are sure God is leading you into.
Souls are won on the knees not on the field. You pray for the people, fast, thirst for their souls and launch out to
witness to them. Hudson Taylor, missionary to china, he prayed: “ Give me China
or die” . He was a cobbler, an illiterate but he was so sure that God was
leading him there. He did not jump to china, the day he had promptings in his
spirit. He prayed severally and prepared himself for the assignment.
A foreign
missionary can either be an independent missionary or an employed staff of a
mission board or agency. An independent
missionary is responsible for his upkeep on the field and that of his family.
He may have sponsors but he is not accountable to any organization. A staff
missionary is working with a mission board, the mission board is responsible
for his upkeep and gives report back to the board that enlist him. Either you
choose to be independent missionary or staff missionary, you have to prepare
yourself spiritually, physically, culturally, emotionally and financially. Do
not wait until you get there before you start learning about their culture,
dressing and food. Make a research. Understand the people you are going to. Are
they educationally or intellectually sound? If they are academically sound ,
you know you have to develop yourself in that area so that it can enhance your
access to them. Either as independent or staff missionary you have to prepare financially.
If you are a staff, think of skills that you can acquire that can be converted
to money while you are there. Finances can be delayed from the mission board,
you should plan on how to sustain your family financially. Generally, some
mission boards prefer engaging missionaries that are professional in their fields.
Only a few missionaries board can financially sustain all the needs of their
missionaries on the field. Almost all the missionaries that came to Africa from
America , England, Canada, Italy are
professionals, there are teachers, Doctors, nurses, Theologians, lawyers,
business men . As they are winning
souls, they are also receiving income from their secular jobs. Paul was an
independent missionary accountable to the church in Jerusalem, he was a lawyer,
a writer and also a tent maker. Priscilla and Aquila were tentmakers too. Luke
was a Doctor. Paul was able to make great impact because he was not a burden to
them. A missionary also prepare his family for the assignment. Some mission board will not send a missionary
without the backing of his spouse and children. It is a collective assignment.
Finally on
foreign missions, God have a way of preparing his people for any assignment.
Paul was a Jew but he was born in Tarsus, Turkey the old Roman empire . This gave him the Roman
Citizenship status and gave him the rare privilege and benefits to travel round
the Roman empire, stayed there without being charged heavy taxes. He had a Roman name (Paul), he understood
their culture, dressing and language. God
knew he would become a preacher to the Gentile nation even before he was aware
and orchestrated his path in that direction. If you will be a missionary to India, China, Arab,
he knows what to do to ensure that you are thoroughly prepared for the
assignment. God will do his own to make
you fit for the assignment. You also have to prepare yourself for the
assignment.
©️ Abolanle Oladipupo
©️ 20th September,2022
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