Living Like A Missionary
February 3rd, 2008 by natalie
A number of my friends have gone onto the “mission field” and I always enjoy reading their newsletters and hearing about the creative means they are developing and employing for the purpose of sharing the Gospel with people in their respective cities and countries. 
From purchasing a storefront in Genoa, Italy to use as a coffee shop so that they can engage customers in spiritual conversations…to backpacking through the Carpathian Mountains of Ukraine to reach people in remote villages…to hosting family camps in the Angeles National Forest so that parents and children from urban areas can deepen their relationship with the Lord and each other in a safe, Christ-exalting environment, these devout men and women exude a life that is wholly committed to carrying out the Great Commission.
As I reflected on this recently, it occurred to me that these dear people just happen to be living and raising their families in the city or country where God has called them to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Is not the same true for every Christian? How often do we Christians view our life this way? How often do I view my life this way? Our earthly locale is secondary to the fact that wherever we are, God has called us to “preach the word“1 and “make disciples.”2 Most of us have that backwards and instead see these God-given directives as secondary to the outworking of our daily life and responsibilities.
Are we purposefully developing creative ways to 
share the Gospel with those around us? I dare say that most American Christians go about their daily life with little thought of proclaiming the message of the Gospel. And for those who do share the Gospel, it’s more something that they do on the side instead of the driving motivation of their life, myself included. It could more truly be said, “For to me to live is to make money…” or “For me to live is to pursue intellectual pursuits…” or “For me to live is to work on a political campaign…” Oh that instead my daily motto, along with Paul, would be, “For to me to live is Christ…“3
1. 2 Timothy 4:2 “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.”
2. Matthew 28:19-20 “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.”
3. Philippians 1:21 “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.“
