Missionaries in Itineration
Another example is a bit sad. I received an e-mail message just recently from an active Christian servant addressed to a Christian community in which I am an active participant. She explained that she'd received criticism for using certain ideas and activities commonly used in the ministry of this community in a ministry not related to the community. She confronted the issue in a loving, Christian manner and explained how she'd be discouraged by the unmerited criticism. I took the opportunity to encourage her and thank her for her honest and loving confrontation to the community. I explained that I too use many of this community's events in my ministry overseas and feel quite free to do so as all ministries belong to God, not to His servants. My sister in Christ wrote back and thanked me for my support and encouragement. She went on to say that my example restored her faith and made her proud to be a Christian! She felt energized in her service to her Lord and received confirmation about her own approach because of my living witness. I'm astounded and humbled � but I rejoice, not in my own accomplishment, but in the fact that she could see Jesus in me!
The Gift of Perspective: Expanding the Church's perspective and shifting its paradigm is also a wonderful gift not always immediately appreciated! We North Americans focus most of our efforts to achieve the greatest amount of comfort possible � for ourselves. Being comfortable seems to be a cultural imperative. Sharing our own testimonies, which many times include the surrender of many comforts in order to serve as missionaries, and telling them about the conditions in which the people we encounter in the field live, will certainly affect the perspective of the average American. Many times individuals and ministry groups will feel inspired to expand their ministries both at home and abroad. This paradigm shift also many times motivates churches and individuals to fund the missionary's program!
The Gift of Revival: The most difficult aspect of support-raising ministry for me is going into lukewarm fellowships. It doesn't seem to matter to what denomination a particular church belongs; many, many of them have gone the way of liberalism, of political correctness, of social action without spiritual anointing. It is very difficult for me to go into these churches, or have fellowship with individuals who call themselves Christians but who no longer acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord. I was puzzled when the Holy Spirit led me to read the book of Jeremiah just prior to launching my support-raising ministry. I read about God's word to faithless, disobedient Israel and Jeremiah's painful prayers and complaints because of the abuse and heartache he had to bear at Israel's rejection of God's word. Once I started visiting various individuals and fellowships I understood that the reading of Jeremiah was preparing me for what I must face. I really sympathize with Jeremiah!
