I got to musing recently about “missionaries” and “mission,” asking myself what or who is a true missionary. I went to the Bible first of all to find the answer, only to discover that neither of these words is used once in the Scriptures. So why are they referred to so often in the Christian world? What do these words really mean and is it possible that there are true and false missionaries?
The Wikipedia dictionary defines a missionary as “a propagator of religion, often an evangelist or other representative of a religious community who works among those outside of that community.” The English word "missionary" is derived from Latin, the equivalent of the Greek-derived word, "apostle." I think we are all familiar with the apostles of the Bible and we understand what their work is today.
According to the documents of the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, the Biblical authority for missions begins quite early, in Genesis 12:1-3, in which Abraham is blessed so that through him and his descendants, all the "peoples" of the world would be blessed. The Bible also says in Matthew 28:20 that the apostles were to "make disciples of all nations." Others point to God's wish, often expressed in the Bible, that all peoples of the earth would worship Him. Therefore, Christian missions go where worship is not, in order to bring worship to God...
I mused further, “What does a true missionary look like and how is a false missionary identified?” I went to the Spirit of Prophecy next to see what I could find. And this is what I found:
| TRUE MISSIONARIES | |
| 1. | “Every true disciple…(is) born…as a missionary” DA195 |
| 2. | “Every son and daughter…(is) called to be a missionary.” MH395 |
| 3. | “…definition of a true missionary, ‘Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.’ Mark 8:34” CH511 |
| 4. | “Every true Christian will possess a missionary spirit...” 5T387 |
| 5. | “If you have found Jesus, you will be a true missionary.” MYP200 |
| 6. | “Those who enter the missionary field should be men and women who walk and talk with God.” 5T599 |
| FALSE MISSIONARIES | |
| 1. | “Every professed Christian who has not the missionary spirit, will be a missionary for the enemy…” ST, September 28, 1891 |
| 2. | “…are false lights in the church, beguiling others to follow them away from the path of self-denial…” ST, September 28, 1891 |
| 3. | “Those who have used the talent of speech to tear down a work that God commends, have revealed that they can not be trusted to establish missionary centers.” SpM 288 |
Are you a missionary? If not, why not? And if you are, what kind of missionary are you-true or false?
| Top of Page | Magazine Listing | Contents Page | Previous Page | Next Page |