Before Jesus ascended, He left His men with marching orders. In giving those orders, He made it clear to both the devil and His disciples what He intended to accomplish from afar. He intended to build His Church, just like He had always said, through willing men & women for centuries to come. Only now, this plan was no longer mere talk, it had actually begun. The Commission had been given, and the gates of hell were on high alert.

After 2,000 years of building, the Church of God is yet unfinished. The work is still happening, but the war is still raging. Our progress is sure, but it’s slow, and it seems that we’ve got a long way to go. A modern missionary to Asia gives a sobering first-hand assessment of one possible reason for any lack of success in our work, saying this: “Sadly, over the centuries of missionary efforts, there has been a huge disconnect between the church at home and those sent to the mission field. People at home are not sure what to do or say to those in the field, and those in the field often feel forgotten and abandoned. At the same time, it’s hard for those in the mission field to accurately describe what it’s like where they’re at, and so they give up trying, leaving those at home without the full knowledge of what’s happening and what they’re going through”

Another article reminds us that: “When a congregation sends out missionaries, they extend their church’s ministry beyond their immediate cultural and geographical context.  This partnership means the missionaries do not cease to belong to their sending church, or are simply absent friends, but should remain valued members of their church, albeit in another place. A healthy relationship between a sending church and its missionaries will be a rewarding and enriching two-way process, keeping the church abreast of God’s wider purposes and giving an increasing awareness of cross-cultural and global mission”  

Forgotten Statistics

“Mission’s Season” has begun for us already this year, and the season itself only seems to get longer and longer. The JFB community has a total of 4 short-term missionary endeavors in 2019, stretching from March to October, with a total of 48 participants, many of whom will be on multiple trips. The numbers are impressive for a church our size, and noteworthy for various reasons, but hidden behind those figures are other statistics that are easily overlooked. As many people as we are sending into the mission field this year, there are approximately three times as many people who are staying home. They will not be prayed over, they will not be sent out, and they will not keep us updated on the exciting things they’re doing for God’s Kingdom via the mission’s blog. Instead of fighting against malaria, jet lag, and homesickness, they’ll be doing battle with the common cold, long commutes, and monotony.

Satan’s chief concern is that we, the church, unify, and that each of us gives full attention to our particular role in missions (whether going or staying), and that we will actually fulfill the Great Commission. His strategy, in part, to prevent that from happening, is to promote a “disconnect” between the church and her missionaries. The Lord knows his schemes and has shown us how to fight against that disconnect. There is a way for those whose mission field goes no further than the county line, to partner with those we’ve sent out, and share in the work of building up the Church of Christ. But how? How can we who stay home, bless, serve, and unite with those in the field, keep the bond between us strong, and share in the eternal reward for the missionary work done by this church? 

1. Be Relational

They say that “Absence makes the heart grow fonder”. In other words, distance needn’t weaken the relationship you have to the ones in the field. In fact, because of the spiritual dynamic in true Christian fellowship, it can actually make it stronger. Read what Paul wrote to the Romans in 1:9-13 and you’ll see that his affinity for the friends he had at church didn’t diminish because of his work in the field; quite the opposite. Let separation prove how deep your friendship really is. Our missionaries know that they have the support of the church, but do they know whether they have yours?

Be sensitive, of course, to how you can best communicate that to our missionaries without burdening them, or interfering with their work (Paul wrote a letter, he didn’t bombard them with voicemails and text messages).

2. Be Prayerful

Absence can make the heart grow fonder, but it can also cause the mind to forget. This may sound like a given, but pray for your missionaries regularly. Pray for their specific needs…if you don’t know what they are, then ask them! Ask them before they leave. Get updates while they’re gone. Assure them that you’ll be praying for their specific prayer requests. And then make sure to follow through with your promise. Make the extra effort to be thoughtful and pray for what they may not be thinking of (which is the very heart of intercessory prayer; Romans 8:26).

The formerly quoted missionary to the people of Asia puts it like this: “We don’t need people at home to pray weak prayers for us like, “And God, remember ____. Bless him/her.” We are on the “front lines” in countries where the Gospel has either never been taken or is not well-known. We need powerful prayers from you! Not just short, last-thought on a prayer-list prayers. We need to be prayed for as sons and daughters on the front-lines of battlefields are prayed for. I encourage you to adopt some missionaries to battle for in prayer; prayer for faith, encouragement, continued vision, strategy, health, wisdom, protection, & harvest reaping”

3. Be Thoughtful

Find creative and helpful ways to bless missionaries according to their needs. Is there anything you can do to help them get ready for their trip? Is there something they could use while they’re gone? Is there any help they’ll need when they come back? What can you do to say, “Welcome home, we’ve missed you”. Sometimes the expression of a little extra care and consideration can be very refreshing to a tired servant of God.

“Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people” Philemon 1:7

4. Be Missional

The missionaries you’re praying for have such a strong desire to see the work of God accomplished, they were willing to rearrange schedules, suffer docked pay, and leave friends, family, & comfort, in order to do it. They’ve made major financial sacrifices, and taken substantial risks to fulfill their role in the Great Commission. Nothing would encourage them more than to remember that you are doing the very same thing on domestic soil.

Be evangelistic like they are. Work hard like they are. Make sacrifices like they are. Leaving the state isn’t required for a person to be “missional”. You can serve Jesus in many ways right here, right now, that will put you in the game and bless your missionaries.

We’re all part of the same team. If we take missions seriously as a church, then let those of us who won’t be boarding a plane or piling in a van this year make sure that we’re every bit as missional as those who are. The Great Commission will be fulfilled when each of us finds & fills our place in it. And when we do, we’ll shake the gates of hell.