pulled my hankerchief halfway out of my pocket and turned my jacket collar up. Then in all serious ness, I said, “ Do you really mean you would allow my physical appearance to influence a decision in your life which could have eternal consequences? One of the first evidences of spiritual maturity is a desire to learn everything you can, every time you can, from every man of God you can, in spite of any uncomfortable situation or unattractive presentation.” Perhaps young people who react too strenuous ly to “poor missionary speakers” should join the missionary staff and change the picture. In the meantime, they should read, “Are Missionaries Un balanced?” by Dr. T. Norton Sterett. In this article, Sterrett admits that missionaries seem to be puzzled when you talk to them about beatniks. They are not quite “with it” in the realm of fashion and they may be unaware of who won the world series. “ Sure, the missionary is unbalanced,” says Sterrett, “but by whose scales? Yours or God’s?” In fairness to the 1000 students, I hasten to add that 96% of them felt missionaries are people whose lives are meaningful. And in answer to the question “Who or what has most influenced you for missions?” not a few said “Missionaries and mis sionary speakers.” My survey showed that Europe i£ the most inviting mission field today. Latin America, the Far East and Africa follow in that order. As to the desired types of service, evangelism was num ber one with education, medicine, radio, and litera ture following. In an attempt to make the young people aware of job opportunities, I asked them to name and locate three mission field hospitals, three mission field radio stations, and three foreign field mis sionary children’s schools. Ninety-two percent of the students either made no effort to do so or failed miserably in the attempt. This ignorance of “job opportunities” doubtless contributes to the dirth of volunteers for His service. There is a close rela tionship between one’s knowledge of Christian service opportunities and God’s guidance. Though 73% of the students had publicly indi cated their willingness to be missionaries and had prayed the Lord of Harvest to lead them in that direction, less than 30% had ever approached a mission board. In some cases, this could be account ed for on the basis that they were just beginning their college career and felt it was too soon to move in that direction. As could be expected, there was a variety of answers to my query, “What questions about mis sions do you most want answered ?” Here are some
of the more sifinificant questions and my brief answers. 1. Should a person be more concerned about the field in which he is to serve than about the board under which he is to serve ? For which I borrowed an answer—“ The team you play on is more important than the stadium you play in.” However, the field o f service should re ceive serious consideration by the missionary candidate. Even though the designation is made by the board, the candidate should expe rience the assurance o f God’s guidance. 2. What role does medicine, education, and radio, etc. play in the overall missionary program? My answer: They are a means to an end—the end of revealing the love of God and of win ning men to Jesus Christ. 3. Are you free to plan your own schedule of de votions, rest, etc.? In most cases, yes. Though in medical and educational situations the mis sionary’s time is often strictly regimented, yet in other situations the missionary may have more liberty than is good for him. I f he is not self-disciplined he may become careless both in his devotions and his work responsi bilities. 4. What opportunities are there to work with teenagers on the mission field? Many. There is probably no other age group in which there are greater opportunities. On some fields, high school and university students are sadly neg lected. The doors are wide open for youth evangelism, Bible classes and camping pro grams, etc. 5. Is it necessary for a missionary to be a spe cialist? No. Not in the sense of being an expert in some trade. There is a great need for gen eral missionaries. A solid Christian experi ence, knowledge of the Scriptures and a desire to .communicate Christ generalized or special ized ministry. No. Missionaries aren’t slobs. They are trans planted Christians who are trying to bear fruit in soil that is sometimes hard and rocky. They are soldiers who are fighting against odds. They are uninvited but God-ordained ambassadors with a tremendous message to deliver. They are represen tatives o f eternity in a world bogged down in time. They are spokesmen for the King of kings with whom they will reign forever. It is possible that what the missionary has to say to us should mean more than the fact that he is not dressed in a tuxedo or driving a red Thunder- bird with bucket seats. OB
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
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