Many people believe you just sign up and go to a foreign land and that's it. But little do they know there is just so much more to it. One must be sure in their calling to the mission field. God's method in reaching the world is through people, not just through the Bible. It's pretty much all about timing. And God has a plan for the right person to be in the right place at the right time. There can be no doubt of your calling, especially with the devil afoot. You must believe with everything in you that God did the calling and sent you to the right place, so you can stand up to Satan and his attacks because believe me when he finds out that you are going to act on your calling, he comes running for you. You have moved up on his attack list.
A few questions to ask yourself about your divine calling:
- Do you know beyond a doubt that you are called and how was it demonstrated?*
- In what way where you convicted of it and is it playing out in your life now?*
- If the call is truly genuine, is this the right time for you or is further personal and professional growth needed?*
- What is you level of Christian maturity? *
- Is there ministry experience? If so, how successful has that been?*
- Does your church and denomination back you or at least say they will?*
- Have you declared a burden for a specific people group? If so, is there evidence of deepening knowledge and ministry among them in this country?*
- What is your level of education and training?*
- What do you know about missionary ministry and cultural problems that are to be faced?*
- Is there sound evidence of spiritual and emotional stability? What about evidence of spiritual gifts and practical abilities?*
- Do you have a sense of servant-hood and how are your interpersonal relationships? *
- If you are unmarried, are you okay with going into the mission field unmarried?*
- If married, how does your spouse feel about this calling? Are y'all both on the same level of commitment?*
- If there are children, how many and what are their ages?*
Other things to consider would be how are you going to get there and will you be able to raise the funds? And another thing to look at is how have you done in the past with past ministries? The best way to judge future performance is with past performance.
Being a missionary is thought to be fun and easy. To be truthful, who would want to leave there families and venture out in the unknown? The only excitement I have found in the idea of going on a mission is pleasing my God and helping children in other countries to come to know Him. My calling is to become a children's pastor missionary. I have spoken with many missionaries and have found that many of them enjoy the adventure of it all, but they miss spending time with their families. Many of them are gone for many years at a time and some have come back home to bury their parents. I am frightened when I think about having to leave my family and go somewhere I have never been and being surrounded by people I have never met.
Questions like, whats it going to be like there, am I going to get lost over there always fill my head, and many times I will just sit there and think about it all. Most of the time I get excited but sometimes not. I am sometimes faced with the I am not good enough's and I will never succeed. The only comfort I find is that even though I am not at home, my family will still love and miss me. And that my Jesus will always be with me, no matter how far away I am from my home. My Jesus will stay beside me no matter what and will protect me from what ever I face.
For me, I can get depressed if I think long about the things I will have to do without. So overthinking is not a trait that I'm grateful for having, at this present moment. I have learned that if God plans it for me that trusting Him is all I can do. To me this "missionary thing" is a great deal bigger than most give it credit for. Picking up and leaving my family for an extended period of time to become a career missionary is a HUGE thing. I am worried that I will never meet or have a husband and family, one day. But forge ahead I must because in God's perfect timing these things shall be given to me, I just need to believe and have faith.
I'm glad on one hand that I was single when I received the call because schooling would of been a lot more difficult to pursue if I would of had a boyfriend or fiance. But to all those out there that feel that they are called into mission work full-time, I say go for it! It's now or never! God is NEVER wrong. All of His promises do come to fruition. We have to have faith in our calling and continue in faith to pursue it. It's never a mistake and it should never be a burden. God's work is the most important work someone can be called to do.
**NOTE** These questions were taken from Introduction to Assemblies of God Missions (MIN261). Published by: Global University.
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