Have you ever gone out to eat and not had enough money to cover the bill? Have you taken your car to get fixed at the garage and returned to find the bill twice what you expected it to be? In both cases you were not really ready for what happened because your expectations were wrong. It wasn't much fun, was it? Getting "caught off guard" is never a pleasant experience!

Many problems in the field develop because of similar reasons. Unrealistic goals and expectations along with faulty motives lie behind many of the difficulties that arise in the field. This chapter is an attempt to lead you to honestly confront your goals and motives so that your mission experience can be profitable to you and the people you go to serve. We will also take a look at what it means to be "called."

Goals

What are your goals for your mission service? What picture is in your mind? What do you expect to be doing and how do you see yourself being received by the people where you are going? What are your goals? Be honest and be specific! Write down what comes to your mind now.

As you think about setting realistic goals there are several things you can do to help yourself:

• Interview and talk to as many people as possible from the area you are going to serve. This could include former missionaries (regular and volunteer) as well as nationals from that country. If possible you should talk to people who have done the same kind of job you are going to do. What kind of professional goals can you set? Evangelistic goals? Personal enrichment goals? Spiritual growth goals?

• Read and study all the written materials about your host culture that you can get your hands on—especially realistic stories that deal with life and mission in this place.

• Be adaptable. Even those who are the best prepared will find surprises. Expect that your goals may have to be adjusted as time goes on. When that happens, adapt and go on. Realize that adaptability is the most important virtue of all missionaries.

Motives

Now that you've thought a bit about your goals, let's think a bit about your motives. Motives are very important. In fact, they are the driving force behind most of what we do in life. Examining them and dealing with them honestly is a major factor in our self-understanding and preparation for service.

So what are your motives? Why do you want to be a missionary? Be sure to consider both your religious and nonreligious motives for going as a missionary. Try to list the three most important motives in both of these categories.

Non-Religious Motives
If we are honest we will admit that all of us have mixed motives. Non-religious motives contribute to the decision to go on a mission. This is not necessarily bad. It is normal human nature.

Religious Motives

In addition to these non-religious reasons, however, the Bible does give some directly religious motives for mission.

Love for Christ—In 2 Cor. 5:14 Paul says that the love of Christ is what compelled him to go. And when Jesus first set his own disciples apart for service, he first called them to himself (Mark 3:13.) After they had come to him, then he sent them out on their mission. Coming to Christ first and being filled with his love becomes our greatest motive for going out in service.

The need of people—Matthew 9:37, 38 says that "the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few." In chapter one we saw that this is still true today because even today, over 2 billion people in the world can only be reached by the gospel if someone is willing to cross cultural boundaries to teach them. At the same time, less than 10% of the Christian workers focus on this group of people without Christ. The song is right, "People need the Lord."

The commands of Jesus—"If you love me, keep my commandments," Jesus said in John 15:15. When we hear this, many of us think first of all of the ten commandments. That's okay, but are those the only commandments Jesus could have meant? What about the "commandment" to mission in the Great Commission that we studied in chapter 3? And what about the "great commandment" to love one another? If we truly love our brothers and sisters around the world we will want to share the Good News of salvation with them, won't we?

Mission plays a crucial part in saving people—Our going out really does make a difference in people's lives"hearing" helps bring people to salvation (Rom. 1:14, 15) as well as giving them a "more abundant life" in the here and now (John 10:10). God sometimes saves people without our help, but his basic plan calls for our cooperation.

Call to Mission

All of this leads us to think about the "call" to mission. Sometimes we hear someone say, "I think God is calling me to mission." Or "If God calls me, I'll go." What do we mean by a "call"?

To begin with we must realize that there is a sense in which every Christian is "called." We are called to service, a service that grows out of our love and gratitude for what God has done for us. This love creates in us a desire to share that joy and good news with others. So, there is a sense in which we can say that all Christians are called to be missionaries—not necessarily cross-cultural missionaries, but servants of the Master, nonetheless. But God does call some to a special cross-cultural ministry. We'll look at two different ways in which He calls us.

Some people in history have received a special, miraculous call:

• Samuel, who heard God's voice calling him when he was just a boy,
• Peter and John, who heard Jesus say, "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men."
• Paul, who was stopped by a bright light on the Damascus road and heard Jesus calling him by name to be the apostle to the Gentiles.

All of the above factors should be powerful incentives to lead us to mission. First of all, God calls us to Him and then in love, we respond and go where He sends us. He does not command results, but He does expect faithfulness. The results are in His hands, but the willingness to respond to His call in mission is ours.

1. What are your personal goals and expectations for being a missionary? Make a list and discuss this list with a person you trust with mission or other life experience.

2. What are your motives for getting involved in mission? Make a list and sort them into religious and non-religious. Ask yourself which are your strongest motives? Underline the strongest ones. Are they strong enough to hold up when you will face a crisis?

3. Review how God has led you to sense His call to mission. Are you willing to trust His leadings? Why don't you talk with Him about that in prayer right now.