Is Everyone a Missionary?

Are you called to the mission field? This is a question many of us may be weighing and praying through, either for ourselves or on behalf of a brother or sister in Christ. It’s not easy to answer. In fact, I’ve found that many Christ-followers spend years of their lives waiting for something–a sign or a feeling–more definitive than the uneasiness in their soul. I am encouraged as I talk with young pastors and Christians who have been reading their Bibles and listening to the Spirit speak to their hearts, but the mystery that seems to shroud this topic can cause even godly leaders to stagnate.

More and more, I find myself coming back to the basics, less concerned about the “unprecedented” times we live in, and getting back to reading things that refresh my heart—God’s Word and two books (Eckhard J. Schnabel’s Paul the Missionary and E. D. Burns’s The Missionary Theologian) that I recently found helpful in answering one of those questions that can paralyze a would-be missionary:

“Is everyone a missionary?”

The short answer is “No,” but why that’s the case matters a great deal. I can’t say it any better than Burns, so I will quote him:

“So why does it matter whom we call ‘missionary’? It matters because the glory of God and the good of the nations are at stake; it matters because the lifelong, fruit-bearing missionary office will fade into silence behind the adventurous buzz of what sometimes appears to be a short term Christian vacation... If anyone can be a missionary, then nobody truly will be. This is not a game. This is not a hobby. The glory of God is at stake.”

This echoes his earlier plea not to “let the priesthood of all believers devolve into the missionaryhood of all believers. They are not one and the same; ask any biblically grounded pastor. They all know they have an office to uphold, and such sacred duties they do not share and relinquish easily.”

Another, related, question that tends to freeze up the missionary decision is whether or not “missionary” is a biblical term or idea. Regarding missionary’s biblical origin, Schnabel writes,

“The argument that the word mission does not occur in the New Testament is incorrect. The Latin verb mittere corresponds to the Greek verb apostellein, which occurs 136 times in the New Testament (97 in the Gospels, used both for Jesus having been ‘sent’ by God and for the Twelve being ‘sent’ by Jesus). The noun apostale (‘sending, apostleship’) is used in Romans 1:5 to describe Paul’s missionary calling, in 1 Corinthians 9:2 for Paul’s ‘missionary’ or ‘apostolic’ work, in Galatians 2:8 for the missionary calling of Paul and Peter, and in Acts 1:25 in the technical sense of ‘apostolic’ office.”

In other words, “Yes, missionary is a biblical calling” and “No, it’s not for everyone.” The seriousness of the Great Commission entrusted to the 12 on that mountainside in Galilee demanded that casualness cease, that those who respond to the words of Matthew 28:19, “Go and make disciples of all nations….” live lives truly set apart. Not for a season, but as a lifelong calling.

God raises up men and women who take His word, His commission, their sanctification, and their preparation seriously. When I interact with these men and women at Radius, my heart is full. I’m reminded of a letter I received from a student who was delayed from joining us due to the events of 2020.

“... I am concerned that ‘safety’ is becoming the ultimate goal with the church and this... is crippling certain people, certain churches, and certain organizations with fear or even misguided mercy or love of our neighbors. I believe that the enemy is using this to blind, mislead, and confuse believers from the task at hand. The ultimate goal of our lives should be to make much of Christ, worship God with every ounce of our being and to present our bodies as living and holy sacrifices. Our lives are at His disposal.”

This brother’s plea inspired us at Radius. Security and wellbeing are good things, but they cannot be pursued at the cost of Christ. The brother who wrote this note is typical of the Christians who choose to follow Christ to the ends of the earth. Pray for them, and those who are considering a call to the field, as we wait, knowing that the enemy would love to discourage them from boldly pressing forward.