The Motivation for Mission

There are many honorable and noble reasons to engage the lost in a cross-cultural setting but there is only one that will truly sustain you for the long haul. Missions is not about alleviating poverty, eradicating world hunger, stopping human trafficking, and listen carefully…it’s not even about saving souls. Missions is about spreading the fame of Jesus to the ends of the earth.

For us refugees and migrants, it’s not about discovering our ancestral roots or serving in a culture that we are familiar with. Why the hell would we refugees ever want to go back to the places our parents left behind? Why would a Southeast Asian Jesus follower want to leave the urban jungle of Southern Cal. to return to the literal jungles of Laos, Cambodia or Myanmar? Why would a Somali Christian in Minnesota, want to go back to war-torn Somalia to share his faith? Why would a Mexican who came to the U.S. as an illegal alien return to Mexico to reach a remote tribe? Why would an Afghani or Iraqi want to return to the threat of shame and death to tell others about Christ?

We go because we have been captured by the heartbeat of God – to bring about His worship among every people, tribe and language on earth. His heart pulsates with love for you and I. We have been reconciled, changed and made complete in Jesus. Our natural response to His grace is to tell others despite the opposition we face. Any other motivation will not get us through the dark valleys – because obedience requires that we go to dark places.

So when you ARE rescuing children from the dark and dirty slums of the red light district, or meeting in secret with fearful Muslim background believers, or working in an energy demanding missional business, or sharing stories in a remote Asian village, count on His promise to sustain you. He is redeeming a lost world unto Himself and we are simply privileged to ride along.  

Here is a well-produced documentary that beautifully illustrates the pursuit of God’s glory among an unreached people despite difficult circumstances, it’s titled, “Mekong Kingdom: God at Work Among the So People of Laos.”