No One Sends Himself
Who sends a missionary? Scripture's answer has three parts. God calls. A local church confirms and sends. And ordinary believers stand behind the one who goes.
“How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!”ROMANS 10:14–15 · KJV
Paul walks the chain backward. People cannot call on a Saviour they have not believed, cannot believe without hearing, and cannot hear without a preacher. Then he reaches the last link: how shall they preach, except they be sent? The feet may be beautiful, but someone had to send them. So if you never board a plane, this study is still about you.
A believer who leaves home for the sake of the Great Commission, sent by a local church to preach the Gospel, make disciples, and see churches planted. The word comes from Latin for sending. A missionary is sent, but he is not an apostle. That office had no successors (see Prophecy and Apostles).
A missionary is not a super-Christian. When a crowd tried to worship Paul and Barnabas, they said, We also are men of like passions with you (Acts 14:15). Missionaries have tired days, stubborn children, and tight budgets. What sets them apart is where God has sent them, and they need people behind them.
Someone is preaching today because a church sent him and believers stood behind him. What is your part in that?
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For Deeper Study
- Serving as Senders TodayAmazon Neal PiroloA practical guide to caring for missionaries before, during, and after they go, from a broadly evangelical mission trainer.
- Missions: How the Local Church Goes GlobalAmazon Andy JohnsonHow a local church can send and support missionaries, by a Baptist pastor, from the Reformed 9Marks series. We differ with it on election.
- Missionary Methods: St. Paul's or Ours?Amazon Roland AllenA classic study of how Paul planted churches and trusted them to stand. Allen was an Anglican missionary, and we differ on church order and baptism.
- Faithful Witness: The Life and Mission of William CareyAmazon Timothy GeorgeA biography of the English Baptist missionary by a Baptist historian. Carey was a Calvinist, where we differ.
- Foxe's Book of MartyrsAmazon John FoxeThe classic Protestant record of those who died for the faith, from the early church to the English Reformation.
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Training and Sending
A healthy church reproduces itself: it disciples its people, trains and ordains qualified men, and sends missionaries from the local church with prayer, money, and lasting care, so that the Gospel outlives every generation.
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