When becoming a missionary, I know that it is something that we are all called to, more or less, but how do you know what you do is something that God has paved for you? For example, why this place? Why that long? Why this ministry?
Listening to the Holy Spirit and understand God’s way are the way to know God’s heart. We cannot figure out what God wants us to do if it is not for the Holy Spirit. Understanding God’s way requires reading the Bible and spending time with Him. It is also helpful to find a mentor or someone who is spiritually mature for you to learn from. If you read Acts, you will see how the Holy Spirit guided Paul in his missionary journey. He wanted to go to Asia but the Holy Spirit stopped him twice (Acts 16:6-7)! Then the Holy Spirit directed him to Macedonia through a dream. The way we live right now should not be any different. We might think, this happened in Acts, how can it happen now? The reality is that God uses people even right now. He speaks. People see visions and dreams. Miracles still happen! He shows up in real life as well!
There will be times when God is leading you and you have no idea where you are going. Just like how God led Abraham, Abraham had no idea. He just followed. This requires faith and trust.
Those who follow Jesus are missionaries. Just as Jesus came to the world to proclaim Good News, if we are to follow Him today we ought to do the same. When we accept Jesus in our lives, Christ dwells in us. We carry His Glory around the world and share His Good News. It is not possible to call yourself a Christian and not share His Good News. How and to whom we share Christ to might be very different. It might be in your dorm or the sports team you are part of. We proclaim Him in words and in action. We are His Witness.
For Wai Jia and I, we spend a lot of time praying and discerning. In Singapore, we share our journeys with our Mission Pastor and Senior Pastor. We pray for direction and guidance. We look at the circumstances in our lives and discern what’s God’s doing. For example, while in Canada, we were able to extend my OHIP (healthcare coverage for my liver transplant) until 2016. We took this as a sign and open door for us to go on a mission trip from 2014-2015 (maybe even to 2016). We both have a calling to preach the Gospel to the poor. We spoke with the mission pastor and his wife for guidance. Where we go, for now, we do not know. We are expecting Him to show up and tell us.
There’s one more point I like to share and that is when you follow the Lord with your heart and you live on faith, He will open doors for you. Looking at all the missionaries, it is from the cry of their heart, the Lord does the impossible.
William Carey, one of the early missionaries that went to India said this…
Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God.
