You're a missionary TOO!

I often get the comments from people about how awesome it is that I have moved overseas to an unknown country to serve as a missionary. I never really thought of it as much of a sacrifice. I was only trying to listen and obey the calling of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. If you've seen where I live then you know why I think I'm not sacrificing much. I have most of the comforts of home here in my little house/apartment. But I can't deny that my life has changed drastically in the eyes of most people. In my eyes, my life is pretty much the same apart from the fact that I am far away from most of my family and friends.

While in Uganda, I enjoy listening to podcasts at home from speakers that I am familiar with. My favorite is not that of my own home church, but a church that is not far away from where I had lived in the US. That church has committed millions of dollars to support different ministries around the world. But it wasn't the fact that they were donating millions of dollars worldwide that recently caught my attention. Instead it's the words of their pastor who challenged the people of his church to be a light in the community in which they live.

You might be thinking that this is nothing new. You've heard pastors speak about the importance of being in a small group or a smaller community within the framework of the church. You've probably heard over and over how you should "love your neighbor". You've probably heard that you should preach the gospel to those who live around you. I too had heard all those things, and to be honest, most of the time I ignored those pleas. It's only as I've moved to another country that these things really hit home in a recent message. The pastor said something to the effect that if you can't be a missionary in your own community, how can you be a missionary to the rest of the world. You can see how that hit home for me. I had never cared to share with those in my community while I was in the US. However, it's easy to go door to door in Uganda to share the gospel with anyone on the street. I mean who cares what those people think about me. It's much more difficult to share with people in the US who will judge me: the guy next door to me that hates my dog, the people on the other side of my house who are constantly partying, the couple across the street that is co-habitating. I distinctly remember my grandma to hide when she saw some Christians approaching her door.

You might think that it's awesome that I'm overseas trying to disciple young people to be the next generation of leaders in Uganda. For me, I think what I am doing to serve the Lord is easy. Instead, I look up to that remnant of people in the US who believe so strongly in our Lord Jesus Christ that they will preach the gospel to their neighbors in the US no matter what those people might think of them or how they might judge them. If you are one of those people, I pray that you will continue the good work the Lord has put before you. If you're a believer and like me didn't do this very well, I pray that the Holy Spirit will give you "power" (Acts 1:8) to witness for Christ. After all, if you call Jesus your Lord and Savior, you're a missionary too.