lutely vital that we keep in close communion with the Lord. We dare not contradict what we say by the life we live. P rof . C ook : There is also cross- cultural communication which is high on the list of missionary problems. We are seeking to reach people of a completely different background. Preaching the Gospel is one thing, but there’s more, too, as we endeavor to get them to act and react to the message of salvation. As an example, I should certainly be able to preach in the language of the people and with as much of their native accent as possible. I should be thinking and speaking with their thought pat terns. Q. “I f a person feels called to the mission field, but is no t f ul l y equipped as far as training and sup port, what should be done?” M r . B uker : Both of these, of course, are absolute essentials. Life is complicated enough, but on the field things are even more pressured. We feel that people should be thorough ly prepared for the job ahead of them. They should have maturity of thinking with a breadth of insight. This will make all the difference. Re member that the Lord trained Moses for 40 years before he went out to serve. Quality is always much better than quantity. Then, it costs money to go to the field. Sometimes young people see the tremendous mountain of money necessary and the apathy of church members in so many areas that they become discouraged. Yet, God is still on the throne! He’s the One who ultimately will touch peo ple’s hearts. It would help if minis ters more effectively preached the call of God, clearly spelling out the way in which a young person should yield himself to the call. P rof . C ook : There has always been a problem of personnel needs. Our Lord Himself referred to it.
less the Lord returns, at the most, we may have 35 years to do the job for the cause of Christ. Q. Walla Walla, Wash. — “Why is so much missionary effort tied up in institutional work since this seems to produce so little actual conver sion?” M r . CoOKi It's true that as much as two thirds of our personnel and finances are tied up in institutional work. There are real needs for this, such as in the field of medicine. We must be able to help these potential converts where they are to give them the Gospel. I t’s also true that deal ing with the spiritual problems of the people is much harder than deal ing with their physical, social and emotional problems. It’s not enough to preach only to proclaim the Gos pel. We must do it in such a way that people act and decide for Christ. We then want to make disciples of them so that they, in turn, can reach others. On the surface it may seem that much of the missionary dollar is poured into hospitals, schools and other tangible things, and yet we have found that this is the best way of reaching them. The Lord very dis tinctly tells us that our ministry is a spiritual one. We’re here to tell the world about Christ, winning them to the Saviour, organizing them into fellowships and churches where they can be a blessing to themselves as well as to others. We must be mobile and direct our efforts into things that will be most productive in reach ing these goals as rapidly as possible. Q. Riverside, Calif. — “What is the missionary’s biggest problem to day?” M r . B uker : In one word, “him self.” Our own spiritual states should be our biggest concern.. With un usual customs and culture, coupled with the pressures of life, it’s abso- 16
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