How Dare You....

I would hope any missionary would NOT be supported by a church, because that is not part of a church's scriptural role. I might give money directly to an individual evangelist if I thought he was doing what God had directed him to do, though.

 

I saw plenty of swindlers when I was pastoring who would not approach the church but individuals in it.

 

I agree entirely. Saw some just recently I think, but if I am right they wasted a pefectly good Sunday morning.

 

Surely you aren't equating missionaries with swindlers??!!

 

It is more of a case of swindlers masquerading as missionaries, I think. But yes, it is a field fraught with that sort of problem.

 

I quite agree with you, Ann. If missionaries don;t come out of the local church, they have no business ministering the word in the name of the church...And where there is no vision, the church too will perish.

I have yet, in all my years, to meet a swindler among missions, but I have sure met my share of crooked ministers...and lazy sods too!

Cheers, and God bless those who give so much for so little on foreign fields.

jim

 

Let me be a little clearer. Maybe we are saying the same thing and maybe we aren't. If someone approached me directly and told me that they felt a burden to go to x-place to preach for whatever reason, I might personally support them. If they came before my church asking for the same thing, I would vote opposed to any funds being disbursed for that end.

 

What is it exactly that missionaries do? I was on an outreach team for five years, does this make me a missonary?

john.

 

It'll be good if you would just read the context of these statements by Paul.

This verse is often used to justify the doctrine of missions, but if there's ever any verse used out of context, this is one of them.

 

Sometimes I don't really (or fully) know what people expect of their ministers, or what the ministers think they have to do for the people. I've been at my present church for 12 years and I've never asked for any 'favors' from any of them (I think there are 14 ministers including associates) and don't even know any of them personally. So there must be a lot of squeaky wheels there who get the grease. And certainly I could do wilthout many things in regard to worship, Bible study, or programs they seem to come up with.

I doubt, since you said this about "1 pastor for every 100 people," that you think very highly of an attitude like mine. But I think these differing views do show that so much 'need' here is largely based on the eccentricities of people. An inherant result is that a church has a ministerial staff of people who try to extend themselves to get in good with a church's power structure, and/or they think up musical arrangements, dramas, missions banquets, trips, et al et al, that appeal enough to keep the temperament alive, as in "He's wonderful-- let's do whatever we have to do to keep him!"

Maybe it's irony, or bitter grapes, or something, but I decided against a ministerial career because I didn't ever want to be involved in some things like that I saw. As I know I would probably compromised a lot to do what people expect, say things to please them, even visit just because they hint they expect it, and all, I am certain there are many who are in ministry and in fact do these things. Even though I despise my life as it is, I'm glad I'm not into what I described.

 

Hmm, I know personally dozens of missionaries of different stripes. And out of those dozens, there have been only two (now FORMER) missionaries who were 'swindlers'. Not exactly 'fraught', IMHO.

There are a LOT easier ways of 'swindling' than 'playing missionary'. If I wanted an easy 'job' it sure wouldn't be this one! To me it isn't a job but a calling.

I guess I am just a little thin-skinned about the subject because-

#1. I am a missionary
#2. I do my best to live worthy of the calling, regardless of what others may do
#3 I am tired of folks who have never lived as a missionary constantly calling missionaries 'moochinaries', or implying that they all are such.

G'night! :sleeping_2:

 

Worse yet are the "us 4 and no more" crowd saying that God doesn't call missionaries... they will be in for a rude awakening when they die.

Missions is very important to God.
He was the first missionary. He left Heaven to come share the Gospel with us.
This thread has made me sick.

This board is beginning to make me sick.

How Christians can say that missions is not from God is beyond me.
I want to thank every missionary here.

Why is it every thread on this board lately has been turned into a Calvinistic, non-mission, non-outreach praise fest.

If things don't change, I am out of here.
Where did all the good, Godly, mission minded folks go?

OK, rant over.

 

I thought it was a very good thread but I still don't know what a missionary does.

I mean, we have been sending missionaries to Africa for centuries and still do but lately I see the African Church teaching us. Why do we send missionaries out to places that have Christians already? Have we made them dependants? Is it Christian imperialism?

john.

 

The truth really hurts Amy.G.

 

Have only read this far so perhaps this has been said. Amy.G gave a truth. The truth is the whole Bible is written for our benefit to understand God, from the beginning to the end. In the Bible we must look to see if we can see anything that is written to us.

Any guess from you Gentiles? That's all there is today, just as were all until Abraham.

 

When Jesus was on earth, why did He say He came for no Gentile? Are we then to go about preaching the gospel of the "circumcised"?

Did He ever tell, while He was on earth any Gentile to preach the gospel of the "great commission"? Isn't this that same gospel James, Peter, John and those of the Jewish Jerusalem "Kingdom at hand church" said they would not preach to the Gentile?