If you know me at all, you know I love missionaries. One reason I do is because they always teach me something. Here are some of the things I’ve learned from them over the years:
1. The world is still lost. I know that truth, of course, but missionaries who weep over nonbelievers remind me that I sometimes take that truth for granted. I don’t care about the lost like I should.
2. The gospel is costly. I know that, too, in my head, but I don’t live among people who face persecution and death every day because they follow Jesus. Many missionaries do.
3. I’m not nearly as important as I think I am. I’m just one person in over 7 billion people in the world. See Wednesday’s post to learn more about this reality.
4. God works miracles outside my worldview. I don’t often see healings and exorcisms. Some missionaries I trust do speak of these kinds of experiences.
5. Prayer support really matters. I often call for prayer only when I most need it. Many missionaries survive daily on the wings of prayer.
6. I’m deeply ethnocentric. That means I have a tendency to judge other cultures in light of what I think is right in my culture. Sometimes I’ve judged the way others do church more according to my cultural standards than according to biblical standards.
