It might come as a surprise to some that if you search the Bible for the words “mission” or “missionary,” you won’t find much. To understand the role of believers in reaching the world, you have to dig a little deeper, but it’s worth the effort.
When you get down to it, the heart of missions is God’s heart for all people to return to him. He wants to use us to reach every person, and if we step out in faith, he will equip us to do it. A good first step is to train yourself to think like a global Christian.
What is a global Christian? It’s someone who thinks and loves like God and shares God’s heart for the world and the lost. By that definition, every Christian should want to be a global Christian. But how?
Here are 10 tips to help you become one:
1. As you read the Bible, mark any passages that relate to world ministry.
I have “WM” marked throughout my Bible to signify references to world ministry. The Great Commission and “Be my witnesses” passages come to mind quickly. However, world ministry goes back to the Abrahamic Covenant in Genesis, where God promises to bless all the families of the earth through Abraham’s line. The theme continues to the end in Revelation, which reveals there will be people in heaven from “every tribe and language and people and nation.” With an attentive eye, you will start to see God’s ministry to the world everywhere in his Word.
2. Memorize and meditate on passages that teach us how to express God’s love for the world.
Jesus was arguably the first missionary. He countered the disciples’ understanding of him by explaining his role on earth: “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.” Paul, another notable missionary, said that he became all things to all people, that by all means he might save some.
3. Pray for God’s wisdom and guidance.
Jesus didn’t just point out the need for missionaries, he instructed his disciples to pray they would be sent. As you go out as a co-laborer, ask God how he might want to expand your understanding of the world, shift your heart for a particular cause, or use the gifts he’s given you for his global purposes.
4. Read good missionary biographies.
These texts can be just as exciting as reading any fiction and more rewarding. Biographies offer a window into the lives of courageous followers of Jesus who have gone before us – the beliefs they held, the practices they kept, and the challenges they overcame. From radical pioneers to tortured martyrs, we’ve compiled a list of suggested readings and films to inspire your journey as a global Christian. The dedication of these missionaries to Christ’s cause had a profound effect on thousands of people, and reading their insights can have a profound effect on us, too.
5. Speak with the person who leads missions at your church.
These church leaders are a great source for learning how to become more aware of and active in global ministry. Find out about the missionaries your church supports, sign up to receive their regular updates, and pray for them. Encourage them by emailing them and telling them you pray for them. You can also see if any missionaries are living in your area now. If so, invite them over for a meal, and ask a lot of questions.
6. Take coursework on world missions with a cross-cultural emphasis.
Many Bible schools and Christian universities offer certificate or degree programs with a concentration in missions. Other organizations, like Perspectives or Our Daily Bread University offer coursework in person and online through shorter “intensives” and longer learning experiences. Educational content can enable us to understand the unique role God has designed for each Christ-follower. Further, these programs teach worldviews, apologetics, and theology that equip us to make his name known to the nations.
7. Attend a missions-equipping conference.
Speakers and workshops at conferences, like Urbana or Mission to the World’s Global Missions Conference offer inspiration and application. Many seminaries and Bible colleges also hold annual missions conferences. You can attend one live or listen to past messages online. (A connection I made at Multnomah University’s conference is how I ended up in Africa for 23 years!)
8. Look locally for opportunities to learn about and interact with people of other cultures.
This could be as simple as having dinner at an authentic Ethiopian restaurant or more stretching like connecting with and serving international students or refugees in your area. Now, more than ever, God is bringing the world right to us, providing opportunities to be global Christians in our own neighborhoods.
9. Browse through inspiring missionary quotes.
Perhaps these are some of the most clear and poignant:
“Do we claim to believe in God? He’s a missionary God. You tell me you’re committed to Christ. He’s a missionary Christ. Are you filled with the Holy Spirit? He’s a missionary Spirit. Do you belong to the church? It’s a missionary society. And do you hope to go to heaven when you die? It’s a heaven into which the fruits of world mission have been and will be gathered.”
—John R. W. Stott
“‘Not called!’ did you say? ‘Not heard the call,’ I think you should say. Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear Him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for help…. Then look Christ in the face – whose mercy you have professed to obey – and tell Him whether you will join heart and soul and body and circumstances in the march to publish His mercy to the world.”
—William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army
10. Serve as a missionary in another country.
If you sense God calling you to serve overseas, you might feel intimidated. Here are a few suggestions to help in your discernment:
- Involve the leadership at your church in your discoveries and plans. Everyone serving God in a global capacity needs the strong backing and prayer support of the local church. (If your church doesn’t have someone focusing on missions, maybe God is inviting you to be that person!)
- Research and connect with a sending organization. Sending agencies are groups that facilitate missionaries getting to the field through training and handling logistics. You can find one that aligns with a particular interest or skill you have, like church planting, Bible translation, relief, or development work.
- Go on a short-term mission trip with a team. The needs and opportunities are plentiful. Organizations like Operation Mobilization, Navigators World Missions, and Send International offer experiences of various durations.
A warning: As you take these actions, you will likely start to think differently. Becoming a global Christian may cause you to reconsider many things, like possessions, relationships, success, education, wealth, security, vocation, refugees, and use of time. It becomes a lens through which you view our very big God and the entire world he loves.
A quote by Nate Saint, written in December 1955, profoundly impacted me. Here is an excerpt: “If God would grant us the vision, the word sacrifice would disappear from our lips and thoughts; we would despise time-robbing distractions and charge the enemy with all our energies in the name of Christ.” If we take the time to let that point sink in, I’m not sure how we can carry on with life unchanged and uninterested in being a global Christian. If something breaks God’s heart, it should certainly break ours.
May God give you his heart for his world.
Adapted from an original article by Karen Coleman, who spent 23 years in Cameroon, West Africa, involved in Bible translation and missionary care. In June of 2018, she went to be with Jesus.
