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| Dr. William (Bill) Wallace Southern Baptist Missionary to China |
1. They help us keep the Gospel central in our lives. In many cases, missionaries have to live and work in some of the most horrible circumstances and conditions. I think about Adoniram Judson serving in Burma and seeing his wife and kids all die because of poor living conditions and lack of medical care. I think about "Nik Ripken" serving in some of the most horrible places in Somalia, seeing and experiencing things that you wouldn't believe. In both of these cases (see resources below), they believed that seeing and savoring the glory of God made it all worth it. They had to keep the Gospel central in their lives. When times get tough, they leaned on the joy that only comes through the God and His Word. After all, the gospel is the power of God unto salvation, sanctification and glorification.
2. They help us remain focused on the Great Commission rather than the Great American Dream. The love of "stuff" is one of the greatest hindrances to fulfilling the Great Commission. We live in a society that finds so much worth in stuff... "I want the new iPhone... I want that new car... If only I lived in that bigger house." You get the idea. The world we live in presents so many distractions that rob us of the joy of knowing and obeying God's Word. When I read about men and women who have sold everything they own so that they have nothing tying them down, it encourages me. They've truly come to realize what it means to be wealthy. Their joy is in the Lord. Oh, that we all might find this joy!
Moreover, "The Great American Dream" has allowed us to grow a little too comfortable in our churches today. We're able to worship freely with little to no fear of persecution, which is a grace from God. The problem is, sometimes growing too comfortable breeds complacency. Yes, for a period of time, TV networks like A&E might fire someone like Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty for speaking out on biblical matters. But he wasn't taken away to be tortured and killed like William (Bill) Wallace was in China. To be honest, we have it easy.
We live in a society where there is no real threat to our lives for identifying ourselves as Christ-followers. We go to our air conditioned churches and sit in our cushioned pews and expect to be entertained by the music and preacher. This is what you call a consumer driven church. All the while, on the other side of the earth, there is an underground house church in North Korea meeting in the cover of the darkness because those believers know their lives are on the line. The pastor and members have all memorized large portions of Scripture for two reasons: 1) they find sheer delight in reading and studying God's Word and 2) it's the only way to ensure they won't be caught carrying the Bible, a book illegal to own, in public. Furthermore, they'll probably go to prison or be drug out into the street and publicly executed for it. All the while, these men and women are faithful to do the work of the Great Commission to make disciples who make disciples. And they're seeing the gospel rescue people from bondage to sin day in and day out. This isn't fiction. It's the world we live in, and missionary biographies remind us of it.
Don't let the Great American Dream rob you from doing the work of the Great Commission!
3. They remind us that ministry success is not measured by numbers, but by faithfulness. This one is very important, especially for pastors. All too often, pastors and even small group/Sunday School teachers are driven by a desire to see numerical growth... Now growth isn't a bad thing. In fact its a great thing. However, our desires and self worth cannot be wrapped up in the ebb and flow of the weekly worship attendance or Sunday School class. I'm encouraged when I read stories about men such as William Carey and Adoniram Judson who faithfully preached the gospel for 7 and 8 years before they saw their first converts. Pastors, be faithful to preach and teach the Word of God and allow Him, in His perfect soverignty, to change lives and bring growth. Remember only God can grow a church. He just wants his people to be faithful to obey all that he has commanded. Seek God's approval, not man's!
As I mentioned earlier, this list certainly is not exhaustive. And that's for a reason. I'd like to hear from you... Do you know of any other reasons we should read missionary biographies? Do you have any book recommendations?
Interested in reading a few missionary biographies of your own, but don't know where to start? Here are a few suggestions:
10 Who Changed the World by Danny Akin
To the Golden Shore: The Life of Adoniram Judson by Courtney Anderson
The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected by Nik Ripken
Do you have more? Post your recommendations below too.
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