A Question of “How”—Not “If”

You don’t need to wonder if God wants you to be involved in missions.

It may be easy to believe that unless you receive an explicit sign, God’s purposes for you don’t include cross-cultural ministry. But Scripture tells us just the opposite.

From its earliest chapters, the Bible makes it clear that God blesses His people for a purpose: to be a blessing to others. He revealed this truth to Abram and, as Paul explained to the Galatian believers, it applies to all who believe the good news of Jesus:

“Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: ‘All nations will be blessed through you.’ So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.” Galatians 3:7-9 NIV

For members of the Church, missions isn’t the exception, it’s an expectation. Every believer is blessed by God so that he or she can in turn be a blessing among the nations.

Yet many times, involvement in cross-cultural ministry is treated as though it requires a special invitation. Often, it’s assumed that taking the gospel to the least-reached is a task reserved for just a few select believers and that the rest of us are off the hook. Not only is this contrary to Scripture, it’s faulty logic.

Consider the major decisions you’ve made without a supernatural sign to guide you in the right direction. Perhaps you chose which university to attend and selected a major without absolute certainty that those options were the best ones for you. Maybe you accepted a job offer or got married based not on a specific chapter and verse, but trusting that God was giving you wisdom and leading you through circumstances and biblical principles.

Why should considering your role in cross-cultural ministry be any different?

While God can and sometimes does provide very specific guidance regarding where and how He wants us to serve Him, far more often, He leads His children through making them aware of needs and of ways He can use their gifts and skills for His glory.

This happens when we learn of the great gospel disparity that exists in our world: that four in 10 people worldwide don’t have access to the good news and that just a tiny percentage of workers are seeking to reach them. Our natural reaction is to seek to be a part of bringing the hope of Christ to those who haven’t yet been introduced to Him. We’re motivated to get involved because we recognize that the least-reached will remain without the gospel unless followers of Jesus take it to them:

“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 anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” Romans 10:14-15 NIV

Every believer has a role to play in the beautiful work of bringing the good news to the ends of the earth. Some go, while others pray and give to facilitate the ministry of those who are sent. We all are responsible to respond to the reality of the least-reached and to obey God’s command to share the blessing we have received from Him with others.

If you’re a follower of Christ, God wants you to be involved in missions—it’s that simple. It’s not a question of “if” but a matter of “how.”

If you’re not sure how God wants you to be involved, we’d love to talk to you! Email [email protected] to connect with us.