Ned Holmgren gives some practica l advice on what he would do if he were An Outgoing Missionary
I f I were an outgoing missionary, 7 would concern myself with the demands of the office of an ambas sador. It is quite obvious that the am bassador on any mission should be a man with keen vision for the task ahead. Without a vision no servant of the Lord can attempt great things for God. He must bear in mind that as an ambassador for Christ he has been called to act for Him. Tools For the Trade Along with vision the ambassador should have the necessary tools. These include not ¡. only material instru ments with which to work, but every other kind of help to do a big job in the best way. A recent article reflect ing observations made by an Ameri can on a world tour of missions sug gested “we should send out the biggest people we can possibly get as mission aries, give them really big jobs to do, and then provide them with the best possible tools to do the jobs in a big way.” The dress and appearance of the ambassador should be included in his concern for the demands of the office. He is making an appeal for Christ as the Lord of all. That appeal may not be adequate if given through a drab or uninviting personality. We should no more think of presenting the gospel through a second rate appearance than we would of putting a 1955 motor in a 1925 model car. Proper attitudes are important and there is room for flexibility. Certain petrified prejudices must be broken down. On the other hand there are basic attitudes that must prevail in the face of every exigency the mis sionary meets. With Paul he must be certain of an unqualified love for Christ. He must be convinced that the death of Jesus Christ and His res urrection is the only saving message for lost men. He must be obsessed with the fact that he no longer lives unto himself, but unto Him who died and rose again. William Carey: With Captain Cook in a Cobbler's Shop I would acquaint m yself with the land to which I was going. I would read avidly everything I could get my hands on concerning its history; its geography and climate; its cul
tural background; its political philos ophy; its social conditions and its religious characteristics. William Carey, heroic pioneer of modem mis sions, was not content to be a preach- er-in-waiting until such a time as God would thrust him out to foreign fields, but he spent his time in the cobbler’s shop surrounded by maps of the world, language grammars, a copy of “ Captain Cook’s Voyages,” and an open Bible. These he pon dered in long hours of careful study in order to acquaint himself, as far as possible, with his destination — India. Every missionary would profit by a working knowledge of life and times in his field. I would saturate m yself with the Word of God. It is not enough that one has had a fundamental training in the doctrines of the Bible, nor classes in exegesis of various books, nor a background of Sunday school and church attendance over the years. It was Stafford Young, Australian missionary to Borneo, who said, “ For great missionary methods study St. Paul” ; and we would add, for great missionary principles live with Isaiah, Jonah, Habakkuk and others of the great Bible propagandists. That out standing missionary Hudson Taylor, emphasized the importance of a solid study of the Word. How else can one understand his patient translation and revision work over the years. His diary is replete with instances of hour after hour poring over God’s Word to find the exact meaning under the direct leading of the Holy Spirit. Notations from his diary read, “ seven hours revision” ; “ 10 hours revision” ; and then “ 13 hours revision.” Such labors could only be the outcome of intimate acquaintance with the very breath and language of Scriptures. When the Props Give 'Way I would learn the deep lessons of prayer, both from God’s Word and from missionary biography. There are times when the missionary real izes that he is stripped of every crutch and prop upon which he depended for a stable and fruitful ministry. The patient work of months and years can be swept away by the enemy.
One marvels at the galaxy of mis sionary personalities who were chal lenged to give themselves to God’s service through reading or hearing the biography of David Brainerd. And what was it that mo s t strongly marked the life of Brainerd? One of his biographers says, “ The crowning excellency of Brainerd was the large measure of the spirit of prayer which characterized his life.” Brainerd was a young missionary in New England ministering to thankless, illiterate, debauched Indians with a spirit sel dom equaled in missionary history. Riding through winter storms on horseback, Brainerd would pau s e sometimes for hours under the shelter of a tree to lay prostrate before God in prayer, his body wet with sweat over the concern he had as an am bassador for Christ. Call the roll of great heroes of missions and one will find that they are always marked with the noblest devotion to a life of prayer. An Urgent Mission Now 7 would behave as a missionary ambassador now. Paul reports that his commission, given by Christ, had to do with “ the ministry of reconcili ation.” Then baring his own soul to reveal the urgency of his mission, he cries out with the imperative, “We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” It is as though Paul, when ministering to the saints at Corinth, felt the impelling drive of getting this word of reconciliation to those who needed it at the greatest possible speed. It is certain that no missionary will become a winner of souls on the field unless he has been a winner of souls at home. No over whelming devotion to Christ will mark a missionary abroad unless it has first marked him in his prepara tion. What one expects of an outgoing missionary should no less be expected of the one who stays at home, wheth er he be minister, Sunday school teacher or faithful attendant as a Christian in the Lord’s house. If these matters listed should mark the char acter of the outgoing missionary, thev should be found equally strong in the life of all Christians. END.
JULY, 1955
31
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker