President's Perspective: What Will Make Us Missions-Active Christians?

What Will Make Us Missions-Active Christians?

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By Hubert Harriman, President
July-September 2015

I heard the story of an exasperated farmer who was talking to another farmer about the lazy fellow he had hired some days before. Pointing in the man’s direction at the end of the field, the farmer said to his friend, “If it moves, it’s a post.”

It is our conviction that every believer is to be missions active. We view this, not as our WGM “thing,” but as a biblical mandate. But sadly, when it comes to real missions activity, some people are about as active as a post. I speak frankly, and with deep concern, when I say there is a terrible inertia that has gripped the American church concerning kingdom work. At best, many of our attempts at stirring up believers result in no more than sputters and stops.

As a young pastor, I had the responsibility of mowing the parsonage and church lawns, and my tool was an old push mower that gave me fits. One hot summer day, needing to mow the lawn in preparation for Sunday, I got the mower out and pulled the cord. It came to life, but within a few seconds it stopped. I did this innumerable times, and each time it would sputter and stop. Dripping with sweat and quite frustrated, I called our head trustee for help. (I’m not a mechanic.) Charlie could fix just about anything. He studied the mower awhile and then did something I had never seen a mechanic do. He turned the mower over and gave it a swift kick. To my shock, the thing ran all day! I started wondering if I could get the same results if I did that with my congregation.

Well, I can guarantee you that won’t work with people! There’s only one thing that will make us missions-active believers. Jesus left us neither doubt nor room for dispute when He said,“but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth” (Acts 1:8 NASB). There’s absolutely no sense trying to yank people’s cords, hoping they’ll get started. The fact is, if we aren’t missions active, we have never been Spirit-filled. That’s all. While we might work ourselves into a sweat trying to get Christians stirred up, Jesus unbendingly calls us to get filled up.

What would happen if we started listening to Jesus? We need go no further than the book of Acts to know the answer to that question. So help me God, I want to be numbered with that crowd. Will you join me?

ACT: Ready to walk deeper into missions activity? The World GO! Manual is a good resource to really challenge and inspire you with practical missions activities. Purchase a copy at www.wgm.org/worldgo.