The Most Important Thing You Will EVER Do
Someone sent me a link to this article where the author expresses concern over the fact that many who have been called to missionary service never end up there because they enter into relationship with someone who does not share their passion.
They have every opportunity, gifting, skill set, resource, encouragement, even completed training for the field, yet they never enter service. Instead, what they do enter is a relationship with another godly man or woman who does not have that same commitment to cross cultural service as they do. Sometimes the decision to not further pursue missionary service is direct and obvious and sometimes the decision is gradual and subtle, but either way a once fervent potential missionary never leaves home, but rather sets up home with a less-than-enthusiastic, non-missions spouse.
You can read the rest here.
I was surprised when I saw this article because it was the first time I had ever seen anyone address this issue publicly. I am sure it has been addressed, I just have not noticed it. This is an area of concern for me. I too have experienced people who never get involved in the Great Commission but for some reason they seem to find the time to "hunt" for the love of their lives. The Great Commission is the most important thing a Christian is to do (Matt. 28:19-20). But most of us either don’t know this or we don’t care. Instead, we live as though finding the love of our lives is the most important thing we are to do. Whenever there is a choice between missions and romance, from my experience missions always loses. I call this Theoromanticism. It is the state at which romance becomes god and everything else (i.e. The Great Commission) takes a back seat.
Romance is powerful. The desire to be loved and made much of is one of the most effective ways the enemy can keep Christians from participating in missionary service. Romance will make you do some crazy things as is evidenced by the need for the above article. Someone was telling me that it can be God’s will for a person who is set to go on the field, to find someone and never go. For some reason (Matt. 28:19-20), I have a hard time believing that.
Robert
I love theology and the challenge of making deep teachings non-boring. Let's face it, most of the time we hear theological teaching, it really is boring. Does it really have to be that way? Nope.
