Advice for Young People Considering Missions

What advice would you give young people who are considering missionary work?

If a young man or young woman came to me and said, “I'm feeling that I'm called to Cross-cultural mission, but what should I do to prepare?” I'd say, “The very first thing to do is prepare yourself.”

Do not think that you can go out and, in the strength that you have, in the talent that you have, have an effective ongoing, abiding ministry. Particularly when you're young and have energy it's hard to believe that, to feel I've got the ability, I've got the energy to do this. But to be in cross-cultural mission, particularly in a hard place, you need a supernatural energy and strength. You need a deeper knowledge of God.

So, I would recommend what you should do is study theology. Now that could be formally or informally but, one way or another, enrich yourself with a deeper knowledge of God so that you are personally sustained in all that you're going to go through because you know him better, you know a kind father, you know his magnificence. You're not going out with a thin message. So, go enriched. Then that deep knowledge of God will wean you off self-sufficiency.

That deeper knowledge of God will not only sustain you it will provide a richness to your ministry. So, I would say, “Give all you can to do the deepest work of theological study before you go out,” because mission flows out of knowing God. Think, “Why is it that the Son goes out from the Father? It's because He loves the Father because He knows Him so well He delights to share Him.” That's what fuels mission in us too. It is when we know God richly and therefore love Him that we want to share Him. Maybe think of Psalm 34:5––it is those who look to Him who are radiant.

Those who will go out and be lights to the world, they will only be lights if they first of all look to Him.

‍