“Ok, but first let me go bury my father…” (Luke 9:59)
We may picture this exchange like this in our minds, but in reality, his father is probably not near death. The man most likely means simply that he needs to take care of his father until he dies, so he is unable (or so he thinks) to follow Jesus yet.
I have to admire the few who truly left all to follow Christ in a very physical sense, fishing nets and all. It is my understanding, however, that even some of the 12 had to be called more than once. Although Jesus is no longer walking this earth in a physical body and no longer expects us to ‘follow’ Him in the literal sense of a rabbi and disciple, I am challenged by the commitment He expected of His followers.
So what does this look like today? Are we still expected to give up anything to pursue Christ’s interests? Even after Christ’s ascension, many converts suffered because of their commitment to Christ. We have extensive records of Paul and his journeys, sufferings, victories, and persecutions. He credits God for the strength to preach, serve, and endure. Certainly he could have chosen an easier path to his life. Stay in Israel. Incorporate more law and less Gentiles in his gospel. But instead, he rejoiced in his sufferings and said that they were “light afflictions” and they were “working for us a far more exceeding weight of glory.”(2 Cor. 4:17) There is a reward, but it doesn’t come during this life.
Now let’s get personal. Are there sacrifices that you are unwilling to make for Christ? If you are honest, there probably are. But hopefully you will at least be willing to sacrifice some comforts for the sake of the gospel. Maybe you sacrifice watching football so you can reach out to your unsaved neighbors or put your career on hold for a couple of years to fill a need overseas. Or maybe you begin to train for a career of cross cultural ministry. There has never been a lack of need in the world for Christians to minister. But the supply is always lacking. Apparently, it’s not because of a lack of Christians, but a lack of willingness, since some ministries have a lot more help than others. There is nothing wrong with working the sound booth or singing in the choir, but if it is just an excuse ministry to satisfy your conscience, something needs to change.
It is difficult and controversial to try to define what is, and what is not a valid ministry. But there are two good questions to consider. 1) What would happen if my particular ministry activity ceased? If you make the coffee, your absence is an annoyance to the coffee addicts, but the church can still be the church without coffee. If you are the one doing the teaching, your absence makes meeting together kind of pointless. If you are taking care of a mission base so that church planters can operate in a village, your absence means one of them will have to put their ministry on hold to take care of the base. 2) How many other people would be willing and able to fill my position if I changed ministries? Almost anyone willing to get to church 10 minutes early can turn on the coffee machine. There are also likely a few capable teachers in any congregation. But how many people are there to fill a vacant position at a mission base overseas? It is a bigger decision to go overseas for any length of time than to agree to man the coffee booth.
I’m not saying that my ministry is the only valid one or that everyone should become a full time overseas missionary. That’s like saying that the only valid thing to do during a war is be the guy on the frontline in the trenches. But, if there have been many casualties on the frontline and no one is willing to risk their life there anymore, you won’t win the war, no matter how many people are back home making bullets.
So if you are available for God’s service, I want to challenge you with the current needs that I’m aware of. On our field, there is a regional mission base that serves various missionary teams that has no caretaker, so the missionaries are on a rotation.
The qualifications vary according to position, but lack of secular skills doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t be used. Maybe God has gifted you in a way that you aren’t even aware of. You might go through missionary training and discover a passion and ability to teach God’s Word or above average ability to learn or analyze language. Any secular or natural abilities you have are also an advantage and can probably be used on the mission field. There is always a need for IT, accounting, teaching and maintenance personnel.
So what is your excuse? We addressed lack of skills. Mission teams are comprised of all types of personalities, including quiet people like us. Maybe you don’t feel ‘called.’ Did God clearly ‘call’ you to something else? What would it take for you to feel called? A dream? A burning in the bosom? Writing in the clouds? My call came from the words of Jesus: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel.” Maybe you are convinced you are doing a necessary ministry right where you are. Praise God, stay strong in His grace! Maybe you are unable to be on the mission field due to health or family reasons. But sometimes there is still another way to serve within the mission in the US, depending on your situation. Maybe your excuse for not serving is legitimate (which wouldn’t really be an excuse), or maybe you think you have a good excuse, but Jesus doesn’t.
Maybe you give, maybe you pray, maybe you encourage. Great! We couldn’t minister without you. But may it never be an excuse, a crutch for your conscience, if Christ is challenging you to sacrifice some earthly comforts and fill a challenging ministry need at home or abroad. You don’t want to have regrets at the end of your life, wishing you had spent your life on things with more eternal value. If you don't serve or minister at all anywhere, I challenge you to change now. Make no excuses.