Jonah's Attitude as a Missionary

We can learn from the Book of Jonah about a missionary's attitude since he embodies almost all that a missionary's attitude should not be. In an occasional series on this topic I suggest some areas where we should search our own hearts about how we view our mission field.

Jonah's disdain for the Assyrians bordered on outright hatred. He was trained in the culture of Israel in his day to look upon the Assyrians as those who had brutally treated his people and whose lifestyle was the height of wickedness (Jonah 1:2) The thought of even speaking to the Assyrians about turning to the God of Israel was revolting to him. He would rather see the city of Nineveh destroyed and thousands of women and children die than give them the benefit of hearing about God's offer of mercy. He made the clear choice to act on his prejudice and disobey God by running in the opposite direction. (Jonah 1:3)

The total destruction of a large city and all its inhabitants whose fate depended on him didn't seem to bother him. When the people did turn to the LORD he was angry with God because things didn't go as he thought they should have. (Jonah 4:1) The book ends with Jonah showing more compassion on a wilted plant than on people. (Jonah 4:9-11)

Is it possible that our prejudice could determine who we witness to or how far we are willing to go out of our way to share the Gospel? A missionary attitude is one that sees individuals as those in need of hearing about Jesus Christ, regardless of what they have done, what they look like, where they are from, how they are dressed, etc. How sad it is to visit a missionary in a foreign country and hear them speak about "those people" in a disparaging or condescending way. We can do the same thing when we rationalize avoiding certain parts of town in our door-to-door ministry or emphasize a preference for going to countries that are "like us" to share the Gospel. God is not a respecter of persons (II Chronicles 19:7) and desires that we see people the same way. (James 2:1; 3:13-18)

Lack of compassion is evident in Jonah’s ability to walk away from an opportunity to tell the people of Nineveh about the One True God who was willing to forgive them and spare them if they repented. The fact that he didn’t care is both amazing and puzzling. How could we look at such an opportunity and walk away in the opposite direction? As those who have been entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation (II Corinthians 5:18-19) we must approach our mission field with real compassion and caring.

Beyond lack of compassion is Jonah’s attitude of insensitivity and indifference. He was open in his refusal to obey God and it was even a hindrance to his testimony before the pagan sailors. (Jonah 1:10) When we leave our country to go to a people for whom Christ died we need to be sensitive to their spiritual needs. When a people are steeped in a culture of immorality and enslaved to pagan religions systems we need to be sensitive to them as individual souls in need of a Savior. It might be easy to be so repulsed by a people’s sin that we think they are not “worthy” of our suffering to tell them how they can be saved from their sin. But that did not keep Jesus Christ from suffering death on the cross to pay for our sins, did it? (Romans 5:8)

What do you think about Jonah as a counter-example of a missionary? There are more things we can learn from him but let me know and I’ll post other thoughts later. Comment below or e-mail me at mvetter@gdmmissions.org

Reason #2 for Taking a GDMMissions Field Team Trip

Reason #2 in our series on 8 Reasons to Take a GDMMissions Field Team Trip makes GDMMissions different from other cross-cultural mission organizations because of one important word: evangelism.

#2 – Experience Cross-cultural Evangelism
You can find plenty of other organizations that sponsor short-term mission trips that will give you a cross-cultural experience. Many of these fine groups have projects that focus on accomplishing useful tasks like construction or repairs that are a help to churches and missionaries. As Americans, we are mostly task-driven; we want to schedule, organize, and manage so we see projects accomplished. But most of the world’s cultures, in underdeveloped countries in particular, are more relationship-driven which is difficult for Americans to appreciate.
When task-driven projects form the central reason for short-term missions we miss out on experiencing new cultures that are different from ours. Moreover, we miss out on developing the relationships needed for evangelism to take place.
Because GDMMissions has evangelism as its primary purpose you will have meaningful cross-cultural evangelism experiences every day. We work with national local churches and missionaries who likewise place great emphasis on sharing the Gospel and leading people to Christ. You will work alongside national believers as they share the Gospel in their own language, partner with a bi-lingual national or missionary to share your testimony of salvation to patients and visitors, and compassionately minister to the health care needs of unsaved individuals in the name of our Savior. The context of our ministry revolves around winning souls to Christ by demonstrating the love and compassion of Christ every day in health care clinics. You will have many opportunities to answer the question, “Why have you come here to do this for us?” You will be able to sit with someone and explain that Christ loved them so much that He died for their sins and that they can have eternal life through faith in Him alone. Cross-cultural evangelism is at the heart of every GDMMissions experience. “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” I Peter 3:15

Item of Prayer: That God would give you a burden for the lost; that you would be prepared spiritually, emotionally, and physically to minister in a different culture.

For more information about GDMMissions and our short-term field team trips contact our home office at http://www.gdmmissions.org/contact.html or call 1-978-454-6710 or visit our web site http://www.gdmmissions.org

Reason #1 for Taking a GDMMissions Field Team Trip

Here is #1 of 8 good reasons to take a field team trip with GDMMissions if you are considering short-term missions within the next year. Now is a good time to start praying about what direction the Lord may be leading in your life and these eight suggestions may help you pray more specifically and more intelligently about your next missions trip.

Motive is critical in short-term missions; it all depends on why you are thinking of serving God for a few weeks on the foreign field.
A suggested “Item of Prayer” will help you pray about the type of short-term missions trip that is best for you. Choosing the right mission organization and team format is because the next missions trip might change your life forever!

#1 – Fundamental Biblical Purpose, Goals, and Methods
GDMMissions is first and foremost a fundamental, Bible-centered evangelistic organization whose purpose is to assist like-minded local churches take the Gospel to foreign countries for the glory of Jesus Christ. Our doctrinal statement emphasizes exactly who we are and is not watered down to appeal to the widest audience. We are careful who we cooperate with, whether for support or team candidates; when on the field we only work with nationals and other mission organizations that are in complete agreement with our doctrine and practice. Our methods of evangelism are built around principles of practical, Biblical separation. “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine…” Ephesians 4:14a.

Item of Prayer: That God would help you choose a mission group built on fundamental, Biblical principles whose practices at home and on the field are a reflection of those principles with which you agree.

For more information about GDMMissions and our short-term field team trips contact our home office at http://www.gdmmissions.org/contact.html or call 1-978-454-6710 or visit our web site http://www.gdmmissions.org

Church Planting in Colonia San Bosco, Hermosillo (Sonora, Mexico)

We’ve been holding annual dental clinics in the San Bosco neighborhood of Hermosillo for four years. Working each year with students from the Ebenezer Bible College (IPE in Spanish), a ministry of Mission Gospel Ministries International (MGMI) in Hermosillo, we set up our first clinic under a tarp in a park in the middle of San Bosco where students had been holding open-air evangelistic services. A product of that two-day clinic in the park was a stack of 60 contact sheets with names and addresses of patients seen and with whom the Gospel had been shared. Several received Christ during that clinic and Tap Hornor, MGMI missionary overseeing the work beamed when he held up the contact sheets and said, “We have months’ worth of contacts here to visit and share the Gospel with!”
Tap and students from IPE followed up with those initial contacts every Saturday and the following year there were believers from the neighborhood helping share the Gospel with more people who came out for the second dental clinic. They met on Saturdays in a small building for services led by IPE students. With another handful of new contacts from our clinic students headed off enthusiastically to meet in homes for more one-on-one evangelism and discipleship.
By the third year Pastor Manual Acedo, an Institute graduate, was pastor of the Living Hope Fundamental Baptist Church of San Bosco meeting in a converted house. People crowded the living room of the house while we conducted a third dental clinic and rejoiced to see so many people sharing the Gospel with patients and visitors.
This past year we held a fourth clinic in a larger house church in San Bosco with a tent in the side yard where 80 people gathered for a special service. What an opportunity to praise God for raising up His Body of believers in San Bosco and being part of this group’s faithful evangelism that led to a vibrant local church when four years earlier a few had met under a tarp in a park! Pastor Acedo relates that our annual dental clinics were instrumental in making so many contacts that allowed them to enter people’s homes and share the Gospel with them. That’s how God builds His Church – in Mexico or anywhere – one believer at a time. (Acts 2:47)