Missionary or Christian? Wrong question.

Well, I'm trying to blog regularly. Let's just decide that "regularly" for me means every once in a while, but more than once a month. Just be warned that this will be a long entry.

There's been a lot going on in the past couple of weeks. Mostly in my mind. One of the great things that Erik and I did together was attend NVision last weekend. It's a mini-seminar focused on Missions and what God's heart is for the world as demonstrated through scripture. This piggy-backed on a conversation that I had with a friend about what a "missionary" really is... and how the words "missionary" and "Christian" should really be used interchangeably. Basically we talked about where we are in life right now and how we're kind of in opposite places but learning the same thing: To be a missionary is to be constantly pursuing a relationship with God and obediently opening our hearts to pray for and love the people and things that He loves; to be available to be used by Him whenever and wherever He wills; to be loving the people around us intentionally and sacrificially; and always to "be ready to give an answer for the hope that lies inside of us. " See how I easily could have used "Christian" in the place of "missionary?" I think what really drove the point home for me is that she was talking about how she doesn't necessarily see herself as a "missionary" but will be viewed as such and is figuring out what that means for everyday living and outlook. I see myself as a missionary, but I'm not necessarily viewed as such because I'm in the middle of the U.S. and not really headed anywhere else anytime soon. The point is, we're both missionaries. We're both Christians. We both have the same responsibilities, power of the Holy Spirit, God-given opportunities and unique strengths...we're just on different continents. If I would put the same intentionality into searching out and loving the lost, seeking God's heart through Scripture and prayer, and pouring myself out as a drink offering... if I would put the same effort and outlook into my daily work, ministry, and marriage as I would if I was a missionary in Turkey...Tibet...Thailand...Timbuktu..., then what joy, fulfillment, and adventure I would have right here in Dorothy Land! And what beautiful glimpses I would get of God's power, miracles, provision, comfort, and saving grace! (Not that I'm just sitting around right now, doing nothing and not seeing anything. I'm not complaining.) But if I truly saw myself as a missionary right here and now, would it not HAVE to be life-changing? For my friend, if she saw herself as a Christian first, a Child of the Most High God, and a soldier of King Jesus - and lived as such - (and I believe she does!), would the label of "missionary" even matter very much or change any of her behavior or thought processes? Questions worth pursuing, I think.

After I'd already headed down this road of thinking, Erik and I went to the NVision seminar. The first night was mostly an overview of all of the verses in the Bible that have to do with God's glory and Name being shown to and proclaimed to and exalted among the Nations. (There are a lot of these verses. I could provide a pretty good list if you want them.) That first session really could leave no one in doubt of God's loving, pursuing, passionate heart for all the world. There was no doubt that whenever a verse talks about God blessing us as His children, it is always with the assumption, if not the command, that we should BE A BLESSING for His Name's sake and ultimately for every tongue, tribe, people, and nation. We are simply conduits of his blessings and must not let them dead-end in us when His purpose of blessing us is that we share His love and Gospel with those who have not yet heard of Him or felt His love. With those things no longer in question, the next question was, "Do you love Him enough to love what and who He loves?" Eep. Again the question of " 'missionary' or 'Christian'? " arises. For many, being a Christian is accepting Christ as Savior, loving God, sharing the Gospel whenever the opportunity falls into their laps, and giving ten percent to the church every Sunday. Nothing wrong with that. Really intense Christians actively look for opportunities to share the Gospel, dabble in missions, and are involved in several ministries... and smile a whole lot. That's great too. Missionaries go to missions meetings, walk on a slightly higher and holier plane than other Christians, pray for people they've never even met in countries they can't even pronounce, elatedly wear clothes from Goodwill, and eventually go to one of those unpronounceable countries for a few years or the rest of their lives. Then they come back every once in a while and show pictures and ask for support, and the Christians and really intense Christians say, "I could never be a missionary. God bless them!" Maybe I'm only speaking from my own experience here, but I bet some of it sounds familiar to anyone reading. What a silly distinction! What we must do as Christians, brothers and sisters in Christ, soldiers of King Jesus, is CAN these ideas of Christian vs Super-Christian vs Missionary vs Super-Missionary. (A Super-Missionary is someone who lets a cannibal hold his or her baby to establish trust with the cannibal and then translates the entire Bible into the cannibal's language.) We need to burn these categories and distinctions and all be Global Christians, which are really just Christians, constantly pursuing a relationship with God and obediently opening our hearts to pray for and love the people and things that He loves; available to be used by Him whenever and wherever He wills; loving the people around us intentionally and sacrificially; and always "ready to give an answer for the hope that lies inside of us. " I don't want to leave the praying for the lost people of the world and for God to send laborers into the harvest to the "missionaries." That is my job and privilege as an obedient Christian who is loving the people and things God loves. I don't want to leave the sending of care packages to foreign missionaries, the giving to missions organizations, and/or the hosting of international students to the "really intense Christians."That is my job and privilege as an obedient Christian who is loving the people and things God loves. And I don't want to leave the "go into all the world and preach the Good News to all the nations" or even the chance to die for the sake of the Gospel to the "Super-Missionaries." That is my job and privilege as a Christian who is loving the people and things God loves... if King Jesus should ask it of me. And He has.

So Erik and I are striving to be Global Christians. Not really intense ones or plain ones or super ones...just ones who are loving and chasing and serving our King enough to love the people and things He loves. Maybe when enough people catch on, we can drop the Global and just be...

Christians, constantly pursuing a relationship with God and obediently opening our hearts to pray for and actively love the people and things that He loves; to be available to be used by Him whenever and wherever He wills; to be loving the people around us intentionally and sacrificially; and always to "be ready to give an answer for the hope that lies inside of us."

Let it be so, King Jesus. Begin with me.