The Missionary Christian

What does it mean to be a Christian? I’ve asked different people at different times throughout my ministry what they thought it meant to be a Christian. I have always been amazed at all the different answers. To go to church, to do good things, to believe in Jesus, to read your Bible regularly, to be part of a community of Christ-like believers and the list goes on. I have asked myself the same question and wrestled with the answer. I have a churchy bible answer, (I won’t take space for that, you probably already know it too) but what does God’s living word and His life-breathing Spirit tell us about being a Christian. Let me give you my short answer. There are many scriptures I could use but Luke 9:23 seems to always capture the heart of it for me. “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up this cross daily and follow me. (The me, being Jesus) You could answer the question what does it mean to be a Christian in many ways, but it always comes back to this, deny yourself and follow Jesus. Deny yourself means not living for you and following Jesus means living for Him completely, but here is the kicker, not living for you but living for God instead always leads to caring and sharing with others.

When Jesus is asked for the greatest commandment, he can’t help but give the second greatest commandment as well, because the first is always followed by the second. Matthew 22:37-39 puts this way, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Notice the language, “the second is like it”. Loving others is so closely tied to loving God we are told that it is like the first command. Love for God that has it full expression in loving others is what I call a Missionary Christian. A Missionary Christian is one who is always on a mission. The mission is to express the love of God that they are experiencing by loving others. The love is not given because you should love others, but more because you can’t help but love others.

It is an outpouring of His Spirit. To be a Missionary Christian is not a duty or a responsibility, it is the overflow of one who is close to God. So here is the question to you and me. Are you a Missionary Christian? Are you overflowing with love for others? Is your life so close to Jesus that there is a natural (or should I say a super-natural outpouring)?

Here is my answer. When I follow His command to deny me and love Him, the answer is yes. When I say yes to Him and no to me, I fill up and overflow. But here is my second answer, not enough. More times than not, I am trying to serve Him from what little is left in my cup. A Missionary Christian is God’s desire for each of us. God wants us to draw near to him, to fill up and to overflow. Nothing is more exciting than a life full of Christ pouring out all over everyone else.

Rev. Carey Akin