HE THAT
DESIRES
TO SERVE GOD
Ordination
How do I know if I am called to serve God?
The great love of my life has been being a missionary. Of course, God has not called everyone to be a missionary, but if we don't go, we should send our prayers and financial aid—this would be for both foreign countries and in our own state. Mark 16:15 says, “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” The apostles did this by going out and winning people to Christ and leaving them formed into churches, so they could carry on this great work after the apostles were gone. Jesus started a church, and the apostles started churches. They did not start schools or hospitals. One might think, “But we need those.” Yes! And I am thankful for those who have helped start them and keep them going. I believe they are a natural outgrowth of a Christian community. But Jesus Christ and the apostles only started one thing: churches! Jesus loved the church and gave Himself for it (Ephesians 5:25). Don't get sidetracked doing something else, even a good thing, if God has called you to do what the apostles did.
The reason the church is here today is because Jesus Christ promised perpetuity to His church, that it would remain until the end of the age (Matthew 16:18). It's rare for something to last more than a hundred years. A few businesses have lasted longer than that, and some countries have lasted a few hundred years, but the church has been here for two thousand years! And that without a president, parliament, constitution, army, or country. A lot of people are giving their lives for some club, political party, or activity. And these in themselves are not wrong, but I am not going to give my life for them. They were started by man and will die with man. Get involved in something that God’s Son started and promised to watch over. He also promised to help you do it: “Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it” (I Thessalonians 5: 24).
“But the Lord could come back now!” Some believe the Lord’s return is very near. Although I don’t know when, I hope it’s soon. But to use the soon return of our Lord as an excuse not to serve Him because “I won’t have time to do anything” is missing the point. If the Lord should come back now while we are starting churches, then we are doing what we should be doing. When Christ returns, I don’t want Him to find me at home wasting my time (Ephesians 5:16–17).
God blesses the direction you are going in. When He comes back, you will have joy because you left point A, even if you have not arrived yet at point B. Has God called you? If he has, He is still calling. “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance” (Romans 11:29). If Christ came back today, where would you want to be found? On your way to Nineveh, or in the belly of a fish (Jonah 1:2–17)? Does God expect something of you, but as of yet you have not said, yes? In Matthew 20, Christ gives a parable of a man hiring laborers to go into his field; some were called in the “eleventh hour.” Christ said, “Are there not twelve hours in a day?” That means some were called with only an hour left, and by the time they got to the field, who knows how much time was left. But the Bible says they were paid as much as the others. God’s Son is calling laborers into His field to help carry out the Great Commission and will continue to call, even in this eleventh hour! And sometimes, He will call in the eleventh hour of our life, when we are old. Moses was called when he was eighty years of age to go back to Egypt and lead God's people out of bondage.
God expects more from you!
“Unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required” (Luke 12 :48). In the country of Zambia, the average wage (at the time of this writing) is $100 a year. How many Christians in America make more than $100 a day? Some of you have more than others—more money, more education, more ability, more talent, and more strengths. God expects more from you! All we have is from God (I Corinthians 4:7), and it was given us to use in His will, for His glory and His pleasure (Revelation 4:11).
God does not call those who are sitting around dreaming about doing something, but those who are out doing something, because He wants to get something done. The Lord can’t use “duds.” Who would you send—the man who earned ten talents, or the one who hid his one talent and would not use it for God (see Luke 19:11–27)?
When God called men for the church’s first missionary journey, He went to a church (Acts 13:1–3), not a Bible study. (There were Bible studies before Christ came to Earth.) He wanted those who loved the church enough to be faithful to it and who had helped it by being its leaders because they would go out and start churches. It’s a spiritual law that everything produces after its own kind. Those who were getting the job done already, “by their fruits ye shall know them.” So He called Barnabas, who was probably the pastor of the church at Antioch, being named first on that list of five prophets and teachers, along with Saul, who would become the mighty Paul.
“Called?”
“How do I know I’m called?” Well, is there a desire? The scriptures say, “This is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work” (I Timothy 3:1). Twice in one verse, God used the word desire in connection with the ministry. Yes, we are all to minister for our Lord, but the verse is talking about “the office of a bishop” (overseer). I simply desired to do God’s work, but it was not always so. About a year and a half after I trusted Christ as my personal Savior, I went off to Bible college. Twice in my life I wanted to quit, and both times were at Bible college. During my first week of my first year of Bible college, I thought that all the others were better than I was because they could sing, and some had even gone to Christian high schools—something that before that time I had not even known existed. And back then, I was afraid of public speaking, and even a Sunday-school teacher has to stand up in front of children. (If you have such a fear of public speaking, I suggest starting with small children and working your way up to adults, and the fear will leave.) I looked around and thought, “This is a nice place and I enjoy what I am hearing, but I’m afraid to stand in front of people and speak, so what’s the point? I’m out of here!”
I guess I had one thing going for me, and that was I knew the world could not make me happy. I had done all the things that the world lets you believe will make you happy, and I was less happy. This was the first time in my life I heard God speak. No, I did not hear Him with my ears, but I did hear Him inside of me, and He said, “Stay here or it will be worse for you.” So, I decided to stay.
But again, the same thing happened the first week of my second year of college. I looked around again and I thought, “What am I doing here? I made a mistake.” And again, God spoke to me, “It will be worse.” I decided I’d better stay. But I still had no idea what I was going to do for our Lord.
It was sometime during my second year that a missionary came to our pulpit speech class and spoke for about fifteen minutes. I do not remember his name or what country he was ministering in, but he was talking about starting churches, and I thought, “I would like to do that.” “[H]e desireth a good work.” That was the beginning of my call; it was as though a match had been struck and there was a little flame. But I remembered I was afraid of public speaking and my little flame went out. Then in my third year, the match got struck again, and it has never been put out since; and I hope it never will be.
It was in my third year of school that I determined God wanted me to do a work in the United States first and not go overseas and “practice” on people. If I could not do a good work in my own country, with my own language, I couldn’t help people in other countries. After graduation, I was an associate pastor for six years, and then I went out and started a church, where I was the pastor for five and a half years. About two or three years into being the pastor of that church, I got a visit from my good friend Rich, who was also starting a church with his family, and we just naturally hit it off. I told him I wanted to talk to him outside, so we went out to the backyard, which had a little creek running through it. I told Rich that there was something I wanted to do in the ministry, but that I had not told anyone in our church.
I said, “I want to be a missionary.”
“You do?” he asked, surprised.
“Yes,” I said.
Then he asked the obvious question, “Where do you want to be a missionary?”
“I don’t know,” I said, “I just want to go to some other country and start churches.” And I added, “Right now, while I am talking to you, the desire to be a missionary is so strong that I feel like I am going to explode!”
You will need to understand something here. I was feeling guilty. God had called me to be a pastor, which I enjoyed, but my heart’s desire was to be a missionary. I felt like I was a double-minded man, and that I needed to get my heart right and ask God to forgive me. I shared this with my friend Rich, and he said to me, “God uses our visions to keep us going.”
“That’s right,” I said. It was as though God was saying, “You do this, this, and this, and then I will let you do what you really want to do.” When Nancy and I left the church we had started, it was self-supporting and had raised enough money to pay cash for an existing church building. We waited for the new pastor to come, and then I set off to Romania as a missionary, hopefully to multiply what I had learned in the States.
It’s true that some fight the call of God for their lives—as Jonah, who ran from it, or Peter, who Jesus Christ asked three times in a row, “Lovest thou me more than these [fish]?” That’s why Jesus said, “The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few” (Luke 10:2). It's not God’s fault that there is more work to be done than people who are willing to do it. God knows how many workers He needs; people simply won’t respond to His call. The Bible says God asked Elijah, who ran away from his ministry, “What doest thou here, Elijah?” and God asked this in a “still small voice” (I Kings 19:9–13).
Years ago, as a child, I sat in our living room and heard the phone ring far more times than it should have. My parents knew who was calling them, and they just didn’t want to respond to the call. It seemed funny to me at the time, but I didn’t dare laugh. In fact, it was extra quiet in the room as we all listened to the phone ring. My mom said, “It will quit ringing after a few more times.” My dad nodded his head yes, but the ringing was quite persistent. Finally, after several more rings, my dad got up and slowly picked up the phone.
“Yes, okay. All right,” and then, “Good-bye.” Whatever it was, it all worked out okay. God has your number, and the “gifts and calling of God are without repentance” (Romans 11:29). If your heart is still beating God is still calling!
If you’ve been called to the mission field, have you gotten started? Is God asking you, as He did Elijah, “What are you doing here?” or “Do you love me more than these?” Do you really think God will make you unhappy? Paul the apostle said, “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry” (I Timothy 1:12). He that made you won’t make you unhappy. Heed the call!
Is God calling someone you love?
Would you encourage a friend or loved one to obey God instead of your desire to have him or her stay? Sometimes, relatives or friends make a person called by God feel uncaring for leaving them. You can’t help but wonder about the spiritual growth of these people. They either forgot or don’t believe that it's really God who wants a person to be a missionary. Would you be selfish and not want to give up your loved ones? Friends and relatives are usually not against missions. They may even encourage missionaries. They just don’t want you to be the one to go. Remember, “A prophet is not without honor, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house” (Mark 6:4). It's normal to want friends and relatives to live around you, but what about giving them to the Lord’s will? Are you guilty of this? Yes, it is a sacrifice for those who give to the Lord, but also a blessing (see I Samuel 2:20–21).
Make a sober decision, “Count the cost.”
Growing up, I enjoyed sports, though, at best, I was only mediocre. In high school, I ran long distance for the school track team. One year, at one meet, I placed first in the mile-and-a-half run. but at the rest of the meets, I usually placed second, third, or I did not place at all. When the schools in our league all came together for the final meet, they were going to give out medals for the first five places for each event. My chances of placing at all were not good. I knew everyone who raced in the event and how good they were, and by my estimation, the best I could do was a sixth place. I managed to place fifth and received a medal. It was only a wimpy fifth-place medal, but there is a point to be made here.
The week before our league meet, I remember sitting down on a bench during our practice and thinking, “How could I ever place to get that medal?” Some might be thinking I should have set my sights on first place; perhaps, but the Bible says, “And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability” (Matthew 25:15). The truth is that, physically, we do not all have the same talent, though admittedly there are other things that affect the outcome. While I was contemplating the race, I figured the only way I could manage a fifth place medal was to “run my guts out.” I wanted to be a help to our team in the overall standings, as each medal would count, but even with all my effort, it was not certain I could place high enough to receive a medal. It might all be in vain. Was it worth it? I decided I would at least try and give it my best.
The day of the event, there were fifteen or sixteen high schools there to compete. As usual, I was somewhat nervous. A mile-and-a-half run is six times around the track. For the first part of the race, I was about where I thought I would be: sixth place. And I was already tired and thinking I had better slack off some and start to fall back. Then I remembered I had said to myself, I would give it my best. “Okay,” I thought, and I started to pick up the pace. The first three runners were way out in front, but the ones who were at that moment in fourth and fifth places were only a few yards in front of me. I passed both of them, and when I did, I heard one of them say, “Uh, oh.” He knew he had to keep up with me if he was to place. I managed to stay in fourth position until the last lap, and then he passed me. But I did place fifth and got my little medal, which I still keep to this day.
The day I received the medal was not the day I won it.
I won the medal the week before, when I sat down and counted the cost. “For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish” (Luke 14:28–30). Many people start, but not too many finish. It’s one thing to think about your vision, but it is another to pay for it. All of our dreams come with price tags. Are you willing to pay the price? How badly do you want it?
Sacrifice
While at Bible college, I heard a message on the “glorified position of a missionary.” My wife once told me that when she was saved at age sixteen, she wanted to be a missionary. But she said, “I thought it was too high of a calling for me.” At first I did not look at it this way, but in truth, it is a high calling.
We missionaries probably get more praise than we deserve, but it makes up for what happens when we get to the field. It's sort of like a soldier in a parade, and those on the street are singing and clapping and yelling “Go get 'em,” and then the soldier gets on the plane, and somewhere over the drop zone, he is handed a parachute and kicked out. When he lands, he is smiling and says, “I’m here,” but he is in enemy territory, and there are bullets whizzing past his head. The military spends a lot to train its people before sending them into combat, and the last thing it wants is for Johnny to die. It costs too much to replace him! You need to survive on the mission field—or whatever God has called you to—or all the prayers, fasting, and money spent on support and tickets may be in vain. That’s why experience and training are important. Like boot camp, a Bible college or Bible institute helps weed out those who won’t last, people with zeal but no “root in themselves” (Mark 4:17). I have heard young people say, “I don't need schooling. I have a big God.” Yes, God is great, and He is also wise. That is why Jesus trained and taught His disciples for three and a half years.
Christian Missionaries Need Encouragement
Even the most-dedicated servants of Christ, from time to time, need encouragement to continue their work in this spiritual war. Just knowing you're going to be spending the best years of your life in a foreign country (even if it is affluent), away from friends, relatives, and familiar surroundings, can take its toll. In some countries, there are missionaries who have not seen another American for years. Someone may be thinking, “That’s not a problem.” Good! Then may he come and help us, for there is more room.
Learning a new language takes more than some are willing to give, and at first it is mentally exhausting just to think in another language. It wears you down. I flunked Spanish in high school, but I learned to preach and teach in Romanian as an adult. Yes, I make my share of mistakes with the language, but churches are being started, and young people are being trained. As soon as possible start speaking in their langue because using a translator keeps a wall between you and the people. Studying and going to a language school or hiring a teacher is a must. But don’t think you need to be perfect before you can start using the language. You just need to start! It is definitely much easier to learn a language when you're younger, but I was able to do it at forty years of age, with some hearing loss.
Many have been spiritually beaten up and may consider quitting at times, and some do. Every war has casualties. Once, I heard another missionary say, “I think a lot of missionaries have quit already in their heart, but they just haven't gone back yet because of pride. They don't want to face those who sent them.” It's true, when you have finished your work, God may call you to another field, or He may call you home. But some leave before they are finished. When missionaries fail, they will discourage those who have sent them and those who are planning on going to mission fields, plus those on the field they are leaving behind. Nancy and I now have three grandchildren, and we would like to be with them, but we also believe God will take care of them if we take care of God's flock.
Culture shock
Culture shock is when your soul longs to see the familiar. One missionary told me he and his wife would drive three hours from where they lived to go to a McDonald’s, just to see the American flag that flew outside of it. And they ministered in a country that spoke English and had a good standard of living. Even if you don’t understand what culture shock is, trust me, it’s real! Differences in other cultures seem fun at first, but after six months they begins to unconsciously have an effect on you. About a year and half after I became a missionary, I talked with another missionary, who had served in another country for several years. I told him I felt so guilty because it seemed like I was upset all the time. He told me I was going through culture shock. I responded, “No, I don’t have culture shock. I’m upset.”
He said, “That is culture shock, for you.” He said it affected people differently. For some, it was getting depressed or wanting to quit, but for me, it was getting upset. Just knowing what it was helped me to come out of it.
Another missionary told me that after he had been in Hungary for more than a year, he lost all desire to work. It lasted for the better part of three months, and he didn't understand why. I know this missionary, and he was not lazy. His wife asked him, “Do you think it's culture shock?” Just as with my case, just knowing the cause helped him to overcome it. Unconsciously we fight, or try to change the culture, instead of just accepting it.
Even on vacation with beautiful surroundings, after two weeks or so, people usually want to get back home and see friends and familiar surroundings, but the missionary stays. What’s the point to all this? Even in your own country, in your own town, at your own job, you can have bad days. It’s just worse in another country. My wife’s dad died while she was in Romania, and she was not able to go to the funeral. Most missionaries are sent to poor countries—or at least poor compared to America. One way to prevent or lessen culture shock is for the missionary family to have a decent home with American appliances and furnishings. Why make it hard on your family? There is a lot of free advice in this area about what type of home a missionary should live in, and it usually comes from people who are not missionaries. The Devil has his sights on you and your family. If you were in a war who would you shoot at? Would you not aim for the officers? So if the Devil could get the missionary to fall then this would affect those who are following him.
Thankfully, countries in Eastern Europe, especially Romania, have made a remarkable transformation to a free-market society. But like those who did missionary work in the Bible and started churches, we do not go to another country to change its economy, politics, or culture; we go for spiritual reasons. We can get spoiled by our system in the West and expect those in other countries to treat us the same. And when they don’t, one can get upset or discouraged, and people see this in us, but they, the people in the country you have been sent to, are not being rude. It’s just a different culture. One day I came home and told Nancy about a frustrating experience that I had that day. When I was done with my sad tale of woe, she said to me, “You sound like one of the children of Israel in the wilderness murmuring in their tent door.”
“Well, I’m not complaining,” I said. “I just thought you’d want to know!” But her reproof helped me to stop complaining and be thankful. I was, after all, doing what I wanted to do, being a missionary with the people I wanted to be with.
Problems unique to missionaries
Another difference in many foreign countries is health and sanitation. In some countries in Africa it is the norm for a missionary to get malaria, which he will have for the rest of his life. Or when relatives want you back stateside. Or when your children become teenagers, they don’t like being uprooted and moved away from their high school and friends. Or when the blessings you expected simply don’t materialize. All this and more means one thing. You need to make a sober decision, and your spouse needs to be in agreement: Is it really the Lord who is calling, or you? Count the cost. A lot of things seem fun at first, but think about it three or four years down the road.
On my second furlough, a few months before we came back to the field of Romania, I was praying one afternoon, and I felt the Lord wanted me to tell Him I loved Him. I don’t remember being impressed like that before. Sort of like Peter, who the Lord asked three times in a row, “Lovest thou me more than these?” So, I said, “Yes, Lord, I love you.” And the Lord spoke to me, “Go back to Romania.” I did not hear His voice with my ears, but I heard Him. I was surprised by this and even stopped praying for a few moments. I bowed my head again and said, “Well, yes, Lord, I have always planned on going back to Romania.” And again, “See that you do it!” I stopped praying and tried to figure out why the Lord had said that. I thought, “Doesn’t the Lord know I plan on going back to Romania?” By the end of the day, I realized what the Lord already knew: I had been imagining how much “fun” it might be to candidate for a "large" church here in the United States that needed a new pastor. Though I was conscious of the fact I had thought this, I had been telling myself I would never actually accept the offer. But if it is not God’s will for my life, why look in that direction? God wanted me back in Romania with my heart, not just my body.
Go - Lo
The last thing Jesus says in the book of Matthew is: “All power is given unto me in Heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matt. 28:18–20). Christ has commanded us three things: save people (and this applies to “all nations”), baptize them, and then teach them “to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” so they can learn the Bible. That’s all any of us are to be doing. One might say, “I think there is a whole lot more.” Well, if you teach them “all things whatsoever” Christ has commanded us, that is everything. Win them, baptize them, and teach them, and we are not to reverse the order, some churches baptize a person and then never worry about their salvation. But we are to "Go" and "lo" He will be with us!
Which do you choose, the joy of the Lord or kicking yourself? When you burn your hand because you have been foolish or careless, you will feel pain. But thank the Lord, it doesn’t last forever. God made us with the capacity to cry, but He didn’t make us to cry forever. There is a time for everything (see Ecclesiastes 3:1–8), including getting over some things.
Some people because of failures, sin or some problem, refuse help: “Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not” (see Matthew 2:18), but King David, who, because of his sin, had his newborn die, basically said, “Okay, I’ve been foolish. I have sinned. I have had this great loss, and I have repented in sackcloth and ashes, but I am not going to stay here.” And he prayed to God, “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation” (see 1 Samuel 12:9–23, Psalm 51:8–12). Which do you choose—the joy of the Lord or kicking yourself? It was good that you were sent to your room, but don’t come out with a sad face and make everyone else feel miserable. “Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things; Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies…” (Deuteronomy 28:47–48). My dad never liked me walking around with a long face. He would say, “Get that look off your face, or I will give you a reason to look sad.” Ask the Lord for “joy” (John 16:24). That’s what David did, and he was also wise enough to know that this would be more beneficial for our Lord’s work, for when he was happy, he said that then “sinners shall be converted” (Psalm 51:12–13). We are of no use to our Lord if we are stuck in the mud or refuse to leave our comfort zone, but there is a blessing out there when we obey the Lord.
Some people have a fear of giving their life over to the Lord, to let Him make the decisions for their life. “What will happen to me? Where will God send me, to the North Pole?? What will my family think? How will I raise the money?” There are also those who have graduated from Bible college, done their internships at a local church, raised their support, taken their families and themselves to the city, state, or country God wants them to be in, and still won’t do anything. They are afraid to start! “Should I start with my left foot or with my right foot?” I say, “Just jump!” The fear of failure keeps them back, but by not trying, they have failed already. In the parable of Luke 19:11–27, a man hid the gift God had given him. And it was declared, “Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds.” And those who stood by were surprised and said, “Lord he hath ten pounds.” Yes, and now he will have eleven pounds because he is doing something with it.
There are people with all they need to do the work: the call, ability, support, and willingness. They're just afraid of the responsibilities that will come with the work, so they don’t start. But the burden of guilt will be worse if you don’t do it. Starting a church is not the hard part, anyone can rent a building and put a sign out front. The hard part is keeping the church going. “Go ye therefore…” Hey, we have a command to go—move, let’s get started! When God tells somebody, as He did in Luke 19, to do something, later He is upset (Luke 19:22–23) when He hears excuses.
But when we obey, God says, “Lo, I am with you.” Now you have God’s power and watch care over you; He is with you! When the children of Israel finally did go into the Promised Land to conquer it, I’m sure some soldiers said, “Hey, what is all this talk about God helping us? It’s my shield that’s defending me. It’s my sword that is killing the giants; God has not sent any plague to kill our enemies. Why doesn’t God do something?” He did! When they went in, that’s when God released his power through them to kill the giants.
God has given us something that is “sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit...” and this is the Bible, His Word (Heb. 4:12). “The gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation,” even in the twenty-first century (Romans 1:16).
Ever Christians is to be the light of the world for Christ, and some have been called to leave their jobs and go into full time service!
If you are interested in the ministry, please see "WORK DIARY I and WORK DIARY II." Under "TRUE STORIES".
Please read our other short stories at the top of the page
and pray for this website to be used of God and to help Christians!
How do I know if I am called to serve God?
The great love of my life has been being a missionary. Of course, God has not called everyone to be a missionary, but if we don't go, we should send our prayers and financial aid—this would be for both foreign countries and in our own state. Mark 16:15 says, “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” The apostles did this by going out and winning people to Christ and leaving them formed into churches, so they could carry on this great work after the apostles were gone. Jesus started a church, and the apostles started churches. They did not start schools or hospitals. One might think, “But we need those.” Yes! And I am thankful for those who have helped start them and keep them going. I believe they are a natural outgrowth of a Christian community. But Jesus Christ and the apostles only started one thing: churches! Jesus loved the church and gave Himself for it (Ephesians 5:25). Don't get sidetracked doing something else, even a good thing, if God has called you to do what the apostles did.
The reason the church is here today is because Jesus Christ promised perpetuity to His church, that it would remain until the end of the age (Matthew 16:18). It's rare for something to last more than a hundred years. A few businesses have lasted longer than that, and some countries have lasted a few hundred years, but the church has been here for two thousand years! And that without a president, parliament, constitution, army, or country. A lot of people are giving their lives for some club, political party, or activity. And these in themselves are not wrong, but I am not going to give my life for them. They were started by man and will die with man. Get involved in something that God’s Son started and promised to watch over. He also promised to help you do it: “Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it” (I Thessalonians 5: 24).
“But the Lord could come back now!” Some believe the Lord’s return is very near. Although I don’t know when, I hope it’s soon. But to use the soon return of our Lord as an excuse not to serve Him because “I won’t have time to do anything” is missing the point. If the Lord should come back now while we are starting churches, then we are doing what we should be doing. When Christ returns, I don’t want Him to find me at home wasting my time (Ephesians 5:16–17).
God blesses the direction you are going in. When He comes back, you will have joy because you left point A, even if you have not arrived yet at point B. Has God called you? If he has, He is still calling. “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance” (Romans 11:29). If Christ came back today, where would you want to be found? On your way to Nineveh, or in the belly of a fish (Jonah 1:2–17)? Does God expect something of you, but as of yet you have not said, yes? In Matthew 20, Christ gives a parable of a man hiring laborers to go into his field; some were called in the “eleventh hour.” Christ said, “Are there not twelve hours in a day?” That means some were called with only an hour left, and by the time they got to the field, who knows how much time was left. But the Bible says they were paid as much as the others. God’s Son is calling laborers into His field to help carry out the Great Commission and will continue to call, even in this eleventh hour! And sometimes, He will call in the eleventh hour of our life, when we are old. Moses was called when he was eighty years of age to go back to Egypt and lead God's people out of bondage.
God expects more from you!
“Unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required” (Luke 12 :48). In the country of Zambia, the average wage (at the time of this writing) is $100 a year. How many Christians in America make more than $100 a day? Some of you have more than others—more money, more education, more ability, more talent, and more strengths. God expects more from you! All we have is from God (I Corinthians 4:7), and it was given us to use in His will, for His glory and His pleasure (Revelation 4:11).
God does not call those who are sitting around dreaming about doing something, but those who are out doing something, because He wants to get something done. The Lord can’t use “duds.” Who would you send—the man who earned ten talents, or the one who hid his one talent and would not use it for God (see Luke 19:11–27)?
When God called men for the church’s first missionary journey, He went to a church (Acts 13:1–3), not a Bible study. (There were Bible studies before Christ came to Earth.) He wanted those who loved the church enough to be faithful to it and who had helped it by being its leaders because they would go out and start churches. It’s a spiritual law that everything produces after its own kind. Those who were getting the job done already, “by their fruits ye shall know them.” So He called Barnabas, who was probably the pastor of the church at Antioch, being named first on that list of five prophets and teachers, along with Saul, who would become the mighty Paul.
“Called?”
“How do I know I’m called?” Well, is there a desire? The scriptures say, “This is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work” (I Timothy 3:1). Twice in one verse, God used the word desire in connection with the ministry. Yes, we are all to minister for our Lord, but the verse is talking about “the office of a bishop” (overseer). I simply desired to do God’s work, but it was not always so. About a year and a half after I trusted Christ as my personal Savior, I went off to Bible college. Twice in my life I wanted to quit, and both times were at Bible college. During my first week of my first year of Bible college, I thought that all the others were better than I was because they could sing, and some had even gone to Christian high schools—something that before that time I had not even known existed. And back then, I was afraid of public speaking, and even a Sunday-school teacher has to stand up in front of children. (If you have such a fear of public speaking, I suggest starting with small children and working your way up to adults, and the fear will leave.) I looked around and thought, “This is a nice place and I enjoy what I am hearing, but I’m afraid to stand in front of people and speak, so what’s the point? I’m out of here!”
I guess I had one thing going for me, and that was I knew the world could not make me happy. I had done all the things that the world lets you believe will make you happy, and I was less happy. This was the first time in my life I heard God speak. No, I did not hear Him with my ears, but I did hear Him inside of me, and He said, “Stay here or it will be worse for you.” So, I decided to stay.
But again, the same thing happened the first week of my second year of college. I looked around again and I thought, “What am I doing here? I made a mistake.” And again, God spoke to me, “It will be worse.” I decided I’d better stay. But I still had no idea what I was going to do for our Lord.
It was sometime during my second year that a missionary came to our pulpit speech class and spoke for about fifteen minutes. I do not remember his name or what country he was ministering in, but he was talking about starting churches, and I thought, “I would like to do that.” “[H]e desireth a good work.” That was the beginning of my call; it was as though a match had been struck and there was a little flame. But I remembered I was afraid of public speaking and my little flame went out. Then in my third year, the match got struck again, and it has never been put out since; and I hope it never will be.
It was in my third year of school that I determined God wanted me to do a work in the United States first and not go overseas and “practice” on people. If I could not do a good work in my own country, with my own language, I couldn’t help people in other countries. After graduation, I was an associate pastor for six years, and then I went out and started a church, where I was the pastor for five and a half years. About two or three years into being the pastor of that church, I got a visit from my good friend Rich, who was also starting a church with his family, and we just naturally hit it off. I told him I wanted to talk to him outside, so we went out to the backyard, which had a little creek running through it. I told Rich that there was something I wanted to do in the ministry, but that I had not told anyone in our church.
I said, “I want to be a missionary.”
“You do?” he asked, surprised.
“Yes,” I said.
Then he asked the obvious question, “Where do you want to be a missionary?”
“I don’t know,” I said, “I just want to go to some other country and start churches.” And I added, “Right now, while I am talking to you, the desire to be a missionary is so strong that I feel like I am going to explode!”
You will need to understand something here. I was feeling guilty. God had called me to be a pastor, which I enjoyed, but my heart’s desire was to be a missionary. I felt like I was a double-minded man, and that I needed to get my heart right and ask God to forgive me. I shared this with my friend Rich, and he said to me, “God uses our visions to keep us going.”
“That’s right,” I said. It was as though God was saying, “You do this, this, and this, and then I will let you do what you really want to do.” When Nancy and I left the church we had started, it was self-supporting and had raised enough money to pay cash for an existing church building. We waited for the new pastor to come, and then I set off to Romania as a missionary, hopefully to multiply what I had learned in the States.
It’s true that some fight the call of God for their lives—as Jonah, who ran from it, or Peter, who Jesus Christ asked three times in a row, “Lovest thou me more than these [fish]?” That’s why Jesus said, “The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few” (Luke 10:2). It's not God’s fault that there is more work to be done than people who are willing to do it. God knows how many workers He needs; people simply won’t respond to His call. The Bible says God asked Elijah, who ran away from his ministry, “What doest thou here, Elijah?” and God asked this in a “still small voice” (I Kings 19:9–13).
Years ago, as a child, I sat in our living room and heard the phone ring far more times than it should have. My parents knew who was calling them, and they just didn’t want to respond to the call. It seemed funny to me at the time, but I didn’t dare laugh. In fact, it was extra quiet in the room as we all listened to the phone ring. My mom said, “It will quit ringing after a few more times.” My dad nodded his head yes, but the ringing was quite persistent. Finally, after several more rings, my dad got up and slowly picked up the phone.
“Yes, okay. All right,” and then, “Good-bye.” Whatever it was, it all worked out okay. God has your number, and the “gifts and calling of God are without repentance” (Romans 11:29). If your heart is still beating God is still calling!
If you’ve been called to the mission field, have you gotten started? Is God asking you, as He did Elijah, “What are you doing here?” or “Do you love me more than these?” Do you really think God will make you unhappy? Paul the apostle said, “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry” (I Timothy 1:12). He that made you won’t make you unhappy. Heed the call!
Is God calling someone you love?
Would you encourage a friend or loved one to obey God instead of your desire to have him or her stay? Sometimes, relatives or friends make a person called by God feel uncaring for leaving them. You can’t help but wonder about the spiritual growth of these people. They either forgot or don’t believe that it's really God who wants a person to be a missionary. Would you be selfish and not want to give up your loved ones? Friends and relatives are usually not against missions. They may even encourage missionaries. They just don’t want you to be the one to go. Remember, “A prophet is not without honor, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house” (Mark 6:4). It's normal to want friends and relatives to live around you, but what about giving them to the Lord’s will? Are you guilty of this? Yes, it is a sacrifice for those who give to the Lord, but also a blessing (see I Samuel 2:20–21).
Make a sober decision, “Count the cost.”
Growing up, I enjoyed sports, though, at best, I was only mediocre. In high school, I ran long distance for the school track team. One year, at one meet, I placed first in the mile-and-a-half run. but at the rest of the meets, I usually placed second, third, or I did not place at all. When the schools in our league all came together for the final meet, they were going to give out medals for the first five places for each event. My chances of placing at all were not good. I knew everyone who raced in the event and how good they were, and by my estimation, the best I could do was a sixth place. I managed to place fifth and received a medal. It was only a wimpy fifth-place medal, but there is a point to be made here.
The week before our league meet, I remember sitting down on a bench during our practice and thinking, “How could I ever place to get that medal?” Some might be thinking I should have set my sights on first place; perhaps, but the Bible says, “And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability” (Matthew 25:15). The truth is that, physically, we do not all have the same talent, though admittedly there are other things that affect the outcome. While I was contemplating the race, I figured the only way I could manage a fifth place medal was to “run my guts out.” I wanted to be a help to our team in the overall standings, as each medal would count, but even with all my effort, it was not certain I could place high enough to receive a medal. It might all be in vain. Was it worth it? I decided I would at least try and give it my best.
The day of the event, there were fifteen or sixteen high schools there to compete. As usual, I was somewhat nervous. A mile-and-a-half run is six times around the track. For the first part of the race, I was about where I thought I would be: sixth place. And I was already tired and thinking I had better slack off some and start to fall back. Then I remembered I had said to myself, I would give it my best. “Okay,” I thought, and I started to pick up the pace. The first three runners were way out in front, but the ones who were at that moment in fourth and fifth places were only a few yards in front of me. I passed both of them, and when I did, I heard one of them say, “Uh, oh.” He knew he had to keep up with me if he was to place. I managed to stay in fourth position until the last lap, and then he passed me. But I did place fifth and got my little medal, which I still keep to this day.
The day I received the medal was not the day I won it.
I won the medal the week before, when I sat down and counted the cost. “For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish” (Luke 14:28–30). Many people start, but not too many finish. It’s one thing to think about your vision, but it is another to pay for it. All of our dreams come with price tags. Are you willing to pay the price? How badly do you want it?
Sacrifice
While at Bible college, I heard a message on the “glorified position of a missionary.” My wife once told me that when she was saved at age sixteen, she wanted to be a missionary. But she said, “I thought it was too high of a calling for me.” At first I did not look at it this way, but in truth, it is a high calling.
We missionaries probably get more praise than we deserve, but it makes up for what happens when we get to the field. It's sort of like a soldier in a parade, and those on the street are singing and clapping and yelling “Go get 'em,” and then the soldier gets on the plane, and somewhere over the drop zone, he is handed a parachute and kicked out. When he lands, he is smiling and says, “I’m here,” but he is in enemy territory, and there are bullets whizzing past his head. The military spends a lot to train its people before sending them into combat, and the last thing it wants is for Johnny to die. It costs too much to replace him! You need to survive on the mission field—or whatever God has called you to—or all the prayers, fasting, and money spent on support and tickets may be in vain. That’s why experience and training are important. Like boot camp, a Bible college or Bible institute helps weed out those who won’t last, people with zeal but no “root in themselves” (Mark 4:17). I have heard young people say, “I don't need schooling. I have a big God.” Yes, God is great, and He is also wise. That is why Jesus trained and taught His disciples for three and a half years.
Christian Missionaries Need Encouragement
Even the most-dedicated servants of Christ, from time to time, need encouragement to continue their work in this spiritual war. Just knowing you're going to be spending the best years of your life in a foreign country (even if it is affluent), away from friends, relatives, and familiar surroundings, can take its toll. In some countries, there are missionaries who have not seen another American for years. Someone may be thinking, “That’s not a problem.” Good! Then may he come and help us, for there is more room.
Learning a new language takes more than some are willing to give, and at first it is mentally exhausting just to think in another language. It wears you down. I flunked Spanish in high school, but I learned to preach and teach in Romanian as an adult. Yes, I make my share of mistakes with the language, but churches are being started, and young people are being trained. As soon as possible start speaking in their langue because using a translator keeps a wall between you and the people. Studying and going to a language school or hiring a teacher is a must. But don’t think you need to be perfect before you can start using the language. You just need to start! It is definitely much easier to learn a language when you're younger, but I was able to do it at forty years of age, with some hearing loss.
Many have been spiritually beaten up and may consider quitting at times, and some do. Every war has casualties. Once, I heard another missionary say, “I think a lot of missionaries have quit already in their heart, but they just haven't gone back yet because of pride. They don't want to face those who sent them.” It's true, when you have finished your work, God may call you to another field, or He may call you home. But some leave before they are finished. When missionaries fail, they will discourage those who have sent them and those who are planning on going to mission fields, plus those on the field they are leaving behind. Nancy and I now have three grandchildren, and we would like to be with them, but we also believe God will take care of them if we take care of God's flock.
Culture shock
Culture shock is when your soul longs to see the familiar. One missionary told me he and his wife would drive three hours from where they lived to go to a McDonald’s, just to see the American flag that flew outside of it. And they ministered in a country that spoke English and had a good standard of living. Even if you don’t understand what culture shock is, trust me, it’s real! Differences in other cultures seem fun at first, but after six months they begins to unconsciously have an effect on you. About a year and half after I became a missionary, I talked with another missionary, who had served in another country for several years. I told him I felt so guilty because it seemed like I was upset all the time. He told me I was going through culture shock. I responded, “No, I don’t have culture shock. I’m upset.”
He said, “That is culture shock, for you.” He said it affected people differently. For some, it was getting depressed or wanting to quit, but for me, it was getting upset. Just knowing what it was helped me to come out of it.
Another missionary told me that after he had been in Hungary for more than a year, he lost all desire to work. It lasted for the better part of three months, and he didn't understand why. I know this missionary, and he was not lazy. His wife asked him, “Do you think it's culture shock?” Just as with my case, just knowing the cause helped him to overcome it. Unconsciously we fight, or try to change the culture, instead of just accepting it.
Even on vacation with beautiful surroundings, after two weeks or so, people usually want to get back home and see friends and familiar surroundings, but the missionary stays. What’s the point to all this? Even in your own country, in your own town, at your own job, you can have bad days. It’s just worse in another country. My wife’s dad died while she was in Romania, and she was not able to go to the funeral. Most missionaries are sent to poor countries—or at least poor compared to America. One way to prevent or lessen culture shock is for the missionary family to have a decent home with American appliances and furnishings. Why make it hard on your family? There is a lot of free advice in this area about what type of home a missionary should live in, and it usually comes from people who are not missionaries. The Devil has his sights on you and your family. If you were in a war who would you shoot at? Would you not aim for the officers? So if the Devil could get the missionary to fall then this would affect those who are following him.
Thankfully, countries in Eastern Europe, especially Romania, have made a remarkable transformation to a free-market society. But like those who did missionary work in the Bible and started churches, we do not go to another country to change its economy, politics, or culture; we go for spiritual reasons. We can get spoiled by our system in the West and expect those in other countries to treat us the same. And when they don’t, one can get upset or discouraged, and people see this in us, but they, the people in the country you have been sent to, are not being rude. It’s just a different culture. One day I came home and told Nancy about a frustrating experience that I had that day. When I was done with my sad tale of woe, she said to me, “You sound like one of the children of Israel in the wilderness murmuring in their tent door.”
“Well, I’m not complaining,” I said. “I just thought you’d want to know!” But her reproof helped me to stop complaining and be thankful. I was, after all, doing what I wanted to do, being a missionary with the people I wanted to be with.
Problems unique to missionaries
Another difference in many foreign countries is health and sanitation. In some countries in Africa it is the norm for a missionary to get malaria, which he will have for the rest of his life. Or when relatives want you back stateside. Or when your children become teenagers, they don’t like being uprooted and moved away from their high school and friends. Or when the blessings you expected simply don’t materialize. All this and more means one thing. You need to make a sober decision, and your spouse needs to be in agreement: Is it really the Lord who is calling, or you? Count the cost. A lot of things seem fun at first, but think about it three or four years down the road.
On my second furlough, a few months before we came back to the field of Romania, I was praying one afternoon, and I felt the Lord wanted me to tell Him I loved Him. I don’t remember being impressed like that before. Sort of like Peter, who the Lord asked three times in a row, “Lovest thou me more than these?” So, I said, “Yes, Lord, I love you.” And the Lord spoke to me, “Go back to Romania.” I did not hear His voice with my ears, but I heard Him. I was surprised by this and even stopped praying for a few moments. I bowed my head again and said, “Well, yes, Lord, I have always planned on going back to Romania.” And again, “See that you do it!” I stopped praying and tried to figure out why the Lord had said that. I thought, “Doesn’t the Lord know I plan on going back to Romania?” By the end of the day, I realized what the Lord already knew: I had been imagining how much “fun” it might be to candidate for a "large" church here in the United States that needed a new pastor. Though I was conscious of the fact I had thought this, I had been telling myself I would never actually accept the offer. But if it is not God’s will for my life, why look in that direction? God wanted me back in Romania with my heart, not just my body.
Go - Lo
The last thing Jesus says in the book of Matthew is: “All power is given unto me in Heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matt. 28:18–20). Christ has commanded us three things: save people (and this applies to “all nations”), baptize them, and then teach them “to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” so they can learn the Bible. That’s all any of us are to be doing. One might say, “I think there is a whole lot more.” Well, if you teach them “all things whatsoever” Christ has commanded us, that is everything. Win them, baptize them, and teach them, and we are not to reverse the order, some churches baptize a person and then never worry about their salvation. But we are to "Go" and "lo" He will be with us!
Which do you choose, the joy of the Lord or kicking yourself? When you burn your hand because you have been foolish or careless, you will feel pain. But thank the Lord, it doesn’t last forever. God made us with the capacity to cry, but He didn’t make us to cry forever. There is a time for everything (see Ecclesiastes 3:1–8), including getting over some things.
Some people because of failures, sin or some problem, refuse help: “Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not” (see Matthew 2:18), but King David, who, because of his sin, had his newborn die, basically said, “Okay, I’ve been foolish. I have sinned. I have had this great loss, and I have repented in sackcloth and ashes, but I am not going to stay here.” And he prayed to God, “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation” (see 1 Samuel 12:9–23, Psalm 51:8–12). Which do you choose—the joy of the Lord or kicking yourself? It was good that you were sent to your room, but don’t come out with a sad face and make everyone else feel miserable. “Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things; Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies…” (Deuteronomy 28:47–48). My dad never liked me walking around with a long face. He would say, “Get that look off your face, or I will give you a reason to look sad.” Ask the Lord for “joy” (John 16:24). That’s what David did, and he was also wise enough to know that this would be more beneficial for our Lord’s work, for when he was happy, he said that then “sinners shall be converted” (Psalm 51:12–13). We are of no use to our Lord if we are stuck in the mud or refuse to leave our comfort zone, but there is a blessing out there when we obey the Lord.
Some people have a fear of giving their life over to the Lord, to let Him make the decisions for their life. “What will happen to me? Where will God send me, to the North Pole?? What will my family think? How will I raise the money?” There are also those who have graduated from Bible college, done their internships at a local church, raised their support, taken their families and themselves to the city, state, or country God wants them to be in, and still won’t do anything. They are afraid to start! “Should I start with my left foot or with my right foot?” I say, “Just jump!” The fear of failure keeps them back, but by not trying, they have failed already. In the parable of Luke 19:11–27, a man hid the gift God had given him. And it was declared, “Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds.” And those who stood by were surprised and said, “Lord he hath ten pounds.” Yes, and now he will have eleven pounds because he is doing something with it.
There are people with all they need to do the work: the call, ability, support, and willingness. They're just afraid of the responsibilities that will come with the work, so they don’t start. But the burden of guilt will be worse if you don’t do it. Starting a church is not the hard part, anyone can rent a building and put a sign out front. The hard part is keeping the church going. “Go ye therefore…” Hey, we have a command to go—move, let’s get started! When God tells somebody, as He did in Luke 19, to do something, later He is upset (Luke 19:22–23) when He hears excuses.
But when we obey, God says, “Lo, I am with you.” Now you have God’s power and watch care over you; He is with you! When the children of Israel finally did go into the Promised Land to conquer it, I’m sure some soldiers said, “Hey, what is all this talk about God helping us? It’s my shield that’s defending me. It’s my sword that is killing the giants; God has not sent any plague to kill our enemies. Why doesn’t God do something?” He did! When they went in, that’s when God released his power through them to kill the giants.
God has given us something that is “sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit...” and this is the Bible, His Word (Heb. 4:12). “The gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation,” even in the twenty-first century (Romans 1:16).
Ever Christians is to be the light of the world for Christ, and some have been called to leave their jobs and go into full time service!
If you are interested in the ministry, please see "WORK DIARY I and WORK DIARY II." Under "TRUE STORIES".
Please read our other short stories at the top of the page
and pray for this website to be used of God and to help Christians!