I'm not a Missionary

I am not a missionary. At least, that's not how I see myself.

I'm simply a disciple of Jesus Christ who can no longer claim to follow him and ignore the fatherless and widows at the same time. These two lifestyles are in direct opposition to each other.

As I read the Bible, I can't avoid this truth. There are not occasional references in Scripture to "feeding the hungry" and "freeing the oppressed" as I once thought. The entire book is filled with them! Isaiah 58 blows my mind. I feel as though it was specifically intended for the American church. Please stop reading this post for a moment and give it a read.

We gather on weekends to worship our Savior through the preaching of Christ and uplifted voices in song. All the while, we spend money on marketing campaigns, the newest worship tools, and anything else that will increase the comfort and attractiveness of our services.

Simultaneously, people are starving all over the world. Girls are imprisoned in the sex trade in Manila, Phillipines. Children in the Congo are being forced to kill their own parents and join the LRA. 2.9 billion people are members of unreached people groups who have never even heard the gospel. Hmm...

The early church was defined by their dedication to the poor and needy. Even amidst persecution, they fed thousands of Jews and Romans daily. They didn't do it out of guilt or obligation or because of a special "calling". It was their natural response to the gospel and a requirement of following Jesus.

The modern church is defined by consumerism. We have become just another product on the shelf. We have become more of a self-indulgent institution than a self-sacrificing movement.

So I'm not going to show up at your church in a suit and tie and present a slideshow with a Ugandan choir singing in the background. I'm not going to have five children whose names all begin with the letter "J". I don't have any refrigerator magnets with my name or face on them so you can remember to pray for me.

I'm just a regular guy who loves college football, peanut butter smoothies, and spending time with family and friends. But I love Jesus more.

In choosing to move to Uganda I'm not answering a "calling" I received in a dream. No angel has appeared to me with a message from God. I didn't receive a result of "missionary" from a website with an online career quiz.

Hudson Taylor put it this way: "It will not do to say that you have no special call to go to China. With these facts before you and with the command of the Lord Jesus to go and preach the gospel to every creature, you need rather to ascertain whether you have a special call to stay at home."

I just want to be a faithful follower of Christ. For me, that means moving to Uganda. The gospel compels everything within me to go.

Following Jesus for you may mean selling your house and moving to Thailand. It may mean becoming more vocal about Christ at work and giving up your Saturdays to serve the homeless downtown. I have no idea. I do know that for each of us it means to be willing to do anything for Jesus. It means sacrifice and caring for the poor and needy.