Recently I ran across some internet comments criticizing churches such as ours that send out missionaries. While I understand their hesitance to talk with missionaries who come to their door, I think that it would be helpful for them to understand why we proselyte.
When Jesus Christ was on the Earth, several times He commanded the apostles to go out and teach the Gospel
"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 16:15
"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:" Matt. 28:19
"After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come." Luke 10:1
"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. " Matt. 24:14
Some people think that our goal is to get "numbers". If we were after numbers, we would need to cave in to public opinion and ease up on the commandments and doctrine. I served as a missionary when I was single. I can tell you that the desire of my heart, and the desire of every other missionary I worked with was to help people come unto Christ. We looked at the things that we believed and wanted more than anything else to help other people come to a similar understanding. Our own testimonies that burned in our hearts led us to want to share the gospel with others. What we were taught as missionaries was that we were ambassadors for the Lord, and that we should always act consistent with that calling. If someone did not want to discuss with us, we would thank them for their time, and continue on to find someone who might be interested in hearing what we had to say. If the missionaries ever knock on your door, I invite you to listen with an open mind to what they have to say, and pray to God for guidance to know if what they teach is true.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
My usual response to those who gripe about Christians going in and changing stone age cultures is this:
The modern world is going to come to them. It may be capitalists to rape the environment or sex slave traffickers or drug lords looking for places that are safe from attack. Their stone age culture doesn't have a prayer. Is it really better that they are forced into the modern world completely naive by those who only want to exploit? Or would it be better for some Christians who care about them to go in, live among them, and prepare them for the coming storm while sharing Jesus Christ?
Having been a missionary as well, I certainly agree with you. We aren't out there to force religion on anyone, just to share the gospel with those that choose to listen
I met some of LDS missionaries the other day. They were delightful young girls from Utah and Idaho, sent to our little town of Surrey BC. It's not just 3rd world countries that get missionaries.
The encounter happened because they were at my daughter's ball game cheering on a young girl who they had been discipling. They had name tags identifing them as "sister so and so" from LDS. They wore long grey skirts. Needless to say, they rather stood out.
We got to talking and I told them about you Delirious and how I have enjoyed your willingness to share in detail about your faith. Of course they didn't know anyone named "Delirious" from Southern California. :)
Question for you - do Mormans usually call each other Sister and Brother on a regular basis or were they just doing that because they were in the missionary role?
Looney,
Great comment! And not only can we prepare people for the coming storm, the Gospel of Jesus Christ can transform people's lives, as you know.
Ruth,
I'm so glad you got to actually meet some LDS missionaries. Missionaries go out two by two. The young men go by the title "Elder" which is an office in the priesthood. The young women go by the title "Sister". In our congregations, we do refer to each other as brother and sister. And in fact, we believe that we are all spirit brothers and sisters, and spirit children of God.
I might add that missionaries do have a dress code. Sister missionaries wear dresses or skirts that are at least knee length. There is no specified material or color. That is personal preference, although they are encouraged to wear conservative colors. Elders wear white shirts and ties with dress pants. The thinking behind the dress code is that we think of our missionaries as ambassadors for the Lord, and want them to dress accordingly.
Interestingly enough, my daughter left this morning for a study abroad program at the Brigham Young University Jersualem center. She also was given a dress code. She was asked to wear long pants, and shirts that cover most of the upper arm, almost to the elbow. She was asked not to wear anything form fitting. In the holy land, clothing that emphasizes a woman's figure is frowned upon as not being modest. As I dropped her off at the airport, I was impressed by the group as a whole, and the wholesome image they represented.
Post a Comment