This past week, I was finishing up some college assignments, and one assignment focused on a missionary named Nik Ripken, and how he became a missionary. The reason I was tasked with studying Nik Ripken is because he did not have a “personal calling” to the foreign mission field. Nik Ripken simply referenced 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 alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” For Nik Ripken, the command in Scripture to go into all the world was enough of a calling.
Now, to be fair, we do see God specifically call certain individuals in Scripture. The 12 apostles, Peter, and Barnabas are all personally called by God for a specific mission. However, we also see men like Timothy, Mark, and Silas who do not receive a calling from God, yet they obey the command of God by serving in foreign missions. Ultimately, we see God can work through specific calling in individuals, but God also works through men and women who simply obey the clear commands found in Scripture.
As I read Nik’s story, I reflected on my own thoughts toward missions. I realized that I have consistently assumed that God would specifically call people to go into foreign fields. I had never really considered God’s command in Scripture as enough of a “calling.” This shift in my thought process required me to consider if I should go into foreign missions, and it required me to consider how I am obeying God’s command to evangelize all nations.
Am I following the mission of God locally, where I am?
Am I supporting the mission of God in foreign fields, financially, and through prayer?
Could God use me in a foreign field?
Am I willing to go to a foreign field, even if I do not receive some “personal calling” from God?
While I do not believe that every Christian should go into foreign missions, I believe every Christian should struggle through the decision to go into foreign missions. The fact that God has not called each of us to a specific field does not disqualify us from obeying the command of Christ to spread the gospel to all nations. During this Missions Month perhaps it is a good time for us to consider how can each of us be involved in the mission of God, locally and globally?
Serving Together,
Tyler Boggess