Your calling: It’s not ‘If?’ but ‘How?’

I ask a lot of questions. Some of the questions cause me to appear like a calculated user of the Socratic method. Others make me sound like I’m a bit lacking in common sense. An example of the latter is when I bought a new set of golf clubs earlier this year and asked if I needed to keep the UPC barcode sticker on my driver. The man at the golf shop responded, “Well, it’s not going to help you hit any better whether you keep it on or take it off, if that’s what you’re asking.”

I wondered later, “Why did I ask such a question?” Did I think the sticker contained some sort of tracking device that would allow course officials to track me down in case I had a medical emergency? It’s at times like these that I find great comfort in the saying we all learn as children: “There is no such thing as a stupid question.”

I force myself to keep this adage in mind when Christians ask me whether or not they are called to missions. After all, how can we read our Bibles and conclude that missions involvement is an option for any believer? Now, let me be quick to say that Christians who ask whether or not they are called to missions are not asking a stupid question. They are just asking the wrong question.

So, what is the right question for every believer to ask? The right question is, “How has God called me to participate in His mission?” The Scriptures – Old Testament and New Testament – remind us that everyone who names Christ as Lord is called to join in the work of God’s mission. Whether this be through giving, praying, sending (others), teaching, offering hospitality to people of other nations as they come to us, or going ourselves to other nations, we are all called to missions. Just as God has granted different parts of the Body of Christ different gifts, so has He given us different roles as it relates to the accomplishment of His worldwide mission.

Whole church means whole church
In my 10 years of missions involvement, I have often heard people assume that they are not called to missions since God has not called them to be full-time missionaries (similar to a layperson who concludes he doesn’t need to share his faith because he’s not an ordained clergy member). This type of thinking has slowed the momentum of worldwide evangelization and placed an extra burden on full-time missions workers. In order for the Great Commission to be accomplished, the whole Church must be involved in taking the whole Gospel to the whole world. So, in our prayers and our time with fellow believers, let’s ask the right question: “What role has God called me to play in His mission?”

If you sense God is calling you to serve on the mission field, The Mission Society has opportunities for you, with terms of service ranging from one month to a lifetime. Also, visit our website, www.themissionsociety.org and subscribe to the podcast, “Not if, but how?,” in which missionaries and other Christian believers discuss their call to missions.

Richard Coleman, The Mission Society’s director of mobilization and candidacy, has served previously in local church ministry as director of missions. Richard earned his Master’s of Divinity degree from Oral Roberts University.