A Mission from God?

I’m starting to see that when I want to sit down to write, it’s inspired by something I read or saw recently and gets me thinking.  For lack of a better term, I would say that I get triggered and feel the need to respond in my own way. 

Let it be understood that I don’t use trigger in a derogatory way here.  I understand what it means to some and I understand how it’s been used as a put down for others; I simply mean it as I’m given a push to put something down.

With that being said, I read a great blog recently by Anthony Vernon entitled “Is God Everywhere or Not?”; you can read it here.  It was this blog combined with following some other work I was seeing online that has brought me to you today.

I’ll just start out by saying, I struggle greatly with missionary work, street preaching, faith healing and most evangelizing in general.

I was never exposed to mission work as a kid and it was never discussed in my church.  If you were a street preacher in my town of 6500 people you would probably have been put in a psych ward.  If someone were to try to tell you about the gospel outside of a church or pray over you to heal your back etc. you would have told that person politely to never do that again and directed them toward the door.

So, you know my baseline and where I’m coming from.  I question the motives of people because I feel like missionary work reeks of superiority.  I feel like praising how many people you got to say the sinner’s prayer (which I learned in my mid 30’s was a thing and still haven’t said it) borders on arrogance.  I feel like faith healing often takes advantage of those who are at their most vulnerable and most susceptible to the power of suggestion. 

In his blog this week, Anthony raised questions that I have long struggled with.  Why do we need to go to (insert country here) to bring God to them?  Is God not already there?  Has he been sitting back saying, that he’d love to visit this country or that country and help the people there but Joe from Idaho has never brought him there?  Do Christians believe that they completely have the market cornered on faith and God?  I struggle greatly with this because it seems so arrogant to me. 

This negative feeling for me doesn’t rely solely on the overseas missions.  Sidewalk conversions and faith healing are something that I’m very leery of as well.  I’ve known people who feel called to this and I 100% trust their hearts but I remain skeptical of the whole system.  If I’m open to it, a trained person on the street can convince me that I’m on a boat and I have a tail.  That doesn’t make it true but they can manipulate the mind.  Instead, let me see a one year follow up on all of these people to see if they’re still believers or if whatever was healed remained healed. 

I know that the scripture says that we are to make disciples but to me it reeks of a door to door sales pitch.  Make the sale, check the box, get the prayer or baptism, and then move on never to see that person again.  I can’t believe that this is what Jesus wants.

I know that this attacks the very core of many Christians and I apologize if you are in fact triggered by it.  I’m trying to read and learn more about these callings so that I have a better understanding of the motivations. 

I don’t pretend to know exactly what God expects of me but I know somewhere in the book it says something to the effect that they’ll know you are His by your actions and how you carry yourself.  I’ll never try to sell you on anything but if you want to know about my faith or my beliefs, please ask and I will be happy to have a coffee or a beer with you and discuss.