I spoke at TNC a couple of weeks ago and one of my points was that every Christian should have a passport. We had 60 passport applications at the Missions table in the lobby. They were all gone after the second service. Here's an essay I wrote about this topic last summer. You may not agree with me. That's okay.
Every Christian Needs a Passport
Since the early days of my journey with God I’ve been aware of the Great Commission. For a Baptist, Matthew 28:18-20 is like the Holy Grail of Scripture. It’s one of the first passages of the Bible that is memorized after John 3:16. It is talked about repeatedly and we are challenged to believe it and live it on a regular basis. Next to the Great Commission is Acts 1:8 when Jesus commissioned his disciples to go to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth with the power of the Holy Spirit and the message of the gospel.
And we absolutely adore people who are fleshing out the Great Commission. We call them missionaries.
The King James Version Bible that my wife used in her childhood has autographs from missionaries who came to speak at her church. After these Christian celebrities spoke to a congregation, children lined up to get the holy people to write a personal note, cite a verse of Scripture, and sign their autograph on the inside cover of their Bibles.
The missionary men who spoke always wore a tropical looking untucked, button up shirt – like something a retiree in South Florida might wear. Ordinarily, no man could ever get away with speaking behind the pulpit without a coat or tie and wearing an untucked shirt but the missionaries broke convention when they came to town. It was like the standard issue uniform for male missionaries. The missionary women were always more colorful and creative. They wore the native dress from the country where they served and adorned themselves with the jewelry of the culture. They usually had some odd head covering – a piece of cloth looped around their head or a weird hat. They opened their talks with some unintelligible sentences and said, “That is how you say, ‘Greetings! God bless you and keep you’ in Gibberish, the language of our country.”
Our mouths fell open. In my small South Carolina town, the only people who could speak two languages were the Spanish teacher and French teacher at the high school. The missionaries then proceeded to tell stories of life change and adventure on another part of the globe. Some missionaries did a better job of story-telling than others. Unfortunately, most of the time, before they were halfway through their talk, they had lost their audience’s interest, and it was laborious listening until the end.
I was named after a missionary doctor. My mom loved missions and missionaries. Even in the dark ages, when my family was not involved in the church, I heard my mom talk about missionaries in Africa. She referred to the Pitmans, my namesake who served in Nigeria, often. They were my heroes even though I never knew them. My mom wanted to be a missionary when she was young but life didn’t unfold that way for her. She supported, helped, and prayed for a lot of them over the years. She typed missionary newsletters and stuffed envelopes with exciting stories of what God was doing throughout the world. We hosted an African pastor in our home one week and, finally, she served as a short-term missionary for four months in Tanzania with my dad in 1979. It was one of the greatest experiences of her life.
Missions. Missions. Missions. Christians love and believe in missions and missionaries. Then why doesn’t every Christian have a passport?
If you believe and teach the Great Commission shouldn’t you have a passport? If you say you believe in missions but don’t own a passport, are you a hypocrite? If you say all believers should support missions with their prayers, participation, and pocketbooks, but you don’t have a passport, aren’t you lying? If you are a loyal member of the WMU (that’s the Women’s Missionary Union – kind of like the Ladies’ Auxiliary for missions for a Southern Baptist), but aren’t prepared to leave the country, are you all talk and no action?
Maybe if we really believed in missions we would require new members of our churches to fill out passport applications along with their new member information – and the church would pay all of the expenses for the passport. If we really believe what Matthew 28, Acts 1, and other similar passages in the Bible say, we should expect to go on mission during our journey with Christ. More than once. It should be a lifestyle.
Did Jesus say that we had to have a special calling in order to go into all the world? Does the Bible indicate that we must become “full-time missionaries” in order to do our part in fulfilling the Great Commission? Where does it say that we have to obtain a Bible college or seminary degree to travel overseas and share the love of Jesus? Why have so many restricted foreign missions to so few?
Go read Matthew 28:19 again. It says, “Go and make disciples of all nations.” This verse was spoken as an imperative statement. It is a command, not a suggestion. Read Acts 1:8 again. It says, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” It does not say, “You might. You can. Or you may be.” You will.
Jesus gives no qualifications. No prerequisites. No special calling. No degree. No experience necessary. No ordination service required. He said, “Go” and “You will.” His audience had no questions and no rebuttals. They did what they were told and they turned the world upside down. But we have reservations.
“I’m not called.”
“I can’t afford it.”
“I’m not educated enough.”
“I need to go deeper in the Word first.”
“I can’t take time off work to go on mission.”
“What about my family?”
“I can’t leave my kids that long.”
“I don’t have any talents, gifts, or abilities to offer.”
“I’m afraid to fly.”
“My parents are aging and I need to stay close to home.”
“I have to get my kids through school.”
“I’ve got too many responsibilities here.”
Here’s the problem. We say we believe in the Great Commission but we haven’t really digested all that it says. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me…and surely I am with you always.” “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.”
We focus on self instead of Christ. We think about all of the reasons why we should not go but Christ says simply to “Go.” We are afraid that we will be left out in the jungle all by ourselves. Christ says that he will be with us. We are afraid that we will not know what to say or what to do. Jesus says he will give you the power to do whatever the situation requires.
Here’s the bottom line: We are scared and we are selfish. We are scared to venture out into the unknown and we are too comfortable living our own self-centered lives.
So here’s my challenge to you. Go to the post office today and get a passport application. After you complete the application process, call the person at your church who is in charge of missions and tell them that you want to sign up for the next mission trip.
What? You say your church doesn’t have such a person? Give this to your pastor and tell him to read it.
And while you’re at it…ask your pastor if he has a passport.
