Do you ever wrestle with the question, “Am I ‘called’ to be a missionary?” Or, “Is this missions thing really for me?” Do you ever see a missionary report and think, “Should I be doing that? Should I be out there in the jungle bringing people to Jesus?” Many times our thoughts get so muddy as we think about this kind of question. Our goal is to help you think about this question in a new way. Many times we can miss the clear and simple by overcomplicating the definitions and the expectations. Maybe you think to be a missionary you have to sell all you have and move to a remote place in the world. Maybe you think you’ll have to learn another language. This may be what God is asking you to do, but regardless of where you are, God is more concerned about who you are.
REGARDLESS OF WHERE YOU ARE, GOD IS MORE CONCERNED ABOUT WHO YOU ARE
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Let’s take a look at five questions that will help you answer this simple question, “Is missions for me?”. The first question is pretty extensive, but I promise you it is foundational for how we understand the rest of the questions and how we view our role in this big global plan of missions. Let’s dive in.
1 WHO ARE YOU?
Identity is what our society today and, arguably, every society and generation has wrestled with since the beginning of time. In Genesis 3 we find the first identity crisis played out before us.
Before Genesis 3, humanity has unity with God. There is no shame, no guilt, no seeking and searching for meaning because “True Meaning” was walking with a man in the garden in the cool of the evening.
Let’s call Genesis 1-2 the era of Identity bestowed and known . It was here Adam and Eve knew their roles, their responsibilities and the God who created them. They knew their created purpose. Their identity was rooted in God because they were created in the image of God (Gen. 1:27). It wasn’t a question they wrestled with; it was a reality they lived...as easily as breathing in air. Have you ever been watching a movie where you think it is getting close to the end because everything is perfect, the characters are happy, and everything seems right…and then BOOM!!! The lead football captain gets t-boned by an oncoming truck in the intersection (yes, I just referenced the classic movie Remember the Titans ). In an eternally more climactic way, we enter the drama of Genesis 3. This was not a blue pickup truck plowing into the side of a car; this was the enemy of all that is pure, holy and righteous instigating a coup against the Highest God. Genesis 3 is where God’s created image of Himself chose rebellion over the perfect union. Pastor Matt Chandler refers to this occurrence in his book, Recovering Redemption as listening to the
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