How Do I Know If I’m Called to Missions?
God is on a mission to redeem people from every tribe, language, people, and nation to himself for his ultimate and sovereign glory. The reality is that all of us have been biblically mandated as followers of Jesus to play a part in God’s mission. Each one of us has a part to play in praying, giving, sending, or going.
But how do we know if we are being called to go?
Thinking “Backwards”
The word of God has already supplied us with a calling.
You’re Already Called
The basis of the Bible is the mission of God, meaning that from Genesis to Revelation, God is on a mission to redeem humanity from every tribe, language, people, and nation. Discerning a particular call to missions starts with recognizing that every Christian has been called to participate in God’s mission to reconcile the world to himself. Each of us has been given “the ministry of reconciliation” and entrusted with “the message of reconciliation” (2 Cor 5:17–21). In God’s global mission you are either called to send or to go, and if you do neither, you are being disobedient.
The Everyday, Everywhere Mission
This mission that has been clearly laid out in Scripture is not simply for the “called,” but we are all sent. Whether you’re a student, a stay-at-home mom, a business executive, an athlete, or whoever you are, you are called to make disciples of Jesus; however, you are not required to give up all of your belongings, get on a plane, and go move overseas to be obedient to the great commission.
That being said, it’s important to emphasize that “...The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few (Luke 10:2b).” There are roughly 3.5 billion people in the world today with no access to the gospel. They will not stumble upon a Bible, a radio evangelist, a Christian worship song, or even meet a Christian unless one were to give up everything on account of the gospel and go to them. This person is no-more obedient than the worker staying stateside and reaching his neighbors with the gospel, but in order to finish the mission, there needs to be those of us who are willing to go. Making disciples among these men and women demands that some of us leave the familiarity and comfort of life here to bring the message of reconciliation to those who will not otherwise hear it.
Opening Ourselves to Let God Lead
Now that we have laid a foundation on letting God and his word direct and define our purpose or ‘calling,’ there’s three general principles that we need to cover and prayerfully reflect on.
A Heart that Treasures God
All Christians should reflect God’s love for all the world, but no one gets into glorifying and fruitful cross-cultural ministry without a deep passion for God’s global glory. For someone considering a call to global missions, there has to be a great delight in Jesus and a longing for him alone as your ultimate, soul-satisfying treasure. Your life has been saved and radically transformed by the saving work of Jesus, and you would give your life for others to find this treasure in Jesus alone. To live as though Jesus is your supreme treasure means your life is not your own, but fully belongs in submission to him.
Secondly, there is nothing else you would rather live for than to see his name praised in every tribe, language, people, and nation. God’s global mission must captivate your heart in some sense. There must be a gripping of your heart to be on the front lines of God’s work in the nations as the gospel is brought forth among new people and cultures and languages; a gripping for darkness transformed by the light.
How do you know if you are called to be a missionary? A first indication may be that God’s global mission has captivated your heart.
Hands Eager for the Work
A second thing to consider when thinking about ‘calling,’ is if your hands are not only able to work, but are willing and eager to work. A chance to participate in God’s kingdom work should light a fire in you, not leave you kicking and screaming at the thought of it. This is both the ability to do the work, as well as the ability to do that work with joy.
Much of global missions is evangelization. We are all called to ownership of our faith in evangelization and proclamation of the gospel and those around us, but to be a global worker is to share Christ in another culture and another language. There are many who have not yet heard the gospel, and the task of a missionary is to go and preach the gospel and grow disciples.
An Ear Open to Counsel
Perhaps the hardest step, but maybe the most important, is bringing this idea in front of mature believers that you trust. It’s important to seek shepherding in the decision, not to see if you’re a ‘good enough Christian,’ but that your desires fit who you are right now and how you may need to grow. Eventually, if you haven’t started this way, this decision will need to come in front of your church as the spiritual shepherds of the church will oversee and walk through the process with you.
There is no greater risk, but also no greater joy, than to give your life for the sake of the gospel. Through prayer and counsel, explore how God may be pulling your heart in missions and then step out in full faith and obedience.