1. It’s not about you
In the mission field you have to be able to set aside all your fleshly desires and serve the locals in any way possible, to be part of the lives of those you wish to minister to. That becomes your life! Always remember it’s not about you, it’s about serving God through serving people.
2. Submerse yourself into their culture (remove your own)
Every culture is different, and it is critical to learn that before you go. Something as simple as shaking some bodies hand with the wrong hand can be very offensive in another culture. So learn the details of that culture you will minister to and be willing to give up your cultural ways; even if you don’t agree with them. Also, don’t be afraid to learn some of the language, the locals love it and it shows you really care about them.
3. You are an ambassador for Christ
You are going over into their world to represent Jesus Christ. How you act, what you say, what you do; all of that will be watched very carefully from the locals. So you always have to be on top of your game by representing Jesus in a way that is attractive to them. You might be the only Jesus Christ they ever see.
4. Pray and be covered in Prayer
Never underestimate the power of Prayer and being covered in prayer from your local church, friends, and family. The spiritual realm is real and active. The Devil does not want you to succeed at bringing people to the saving knowledge of Jesus. So Pray hard!
5. Remember your purpose for being on the Mission field
A missionaries’ purpose is to bring the gospel to the people so that souls will be saved, so keep that your priority. This will require the fruits of the spirit, so always stay connected to Jesus. If you keep Him in the center, your purpose will remain clear.
6. Encourage and Equip the locals to take over when you are gone
Your work in the field is temporary, unless God calls you there to serve for the rest of your life. So remember to focus on equipping the local leaders so when you leave the work will continue. But don’t stop with just equipping them, but also encourage them to do the same.
7. Don’t allow your busyness to get in the way with your time with God
There is way more work than any one person can do when you are doing missions. But don’t allow that to overwhelm you to a point of being too busy for God. He HAS to be your foundation or all the work that you do will be meaningless and in vain. It is God that gives you the strength to do His work, so put Him first.
8. Go where the Spirit leads
Stay connected to God because He will lead you to places where He wants you to minister. If you aren’t connected to God spiritually you will fall into a pattern of just doing things for the sake of doing things. When God leads you to a place, be bold and do as He asks. No matter how hard it is!
9. Eat what they put in front of you
Some places this is easy, but if you are going to a place where the food looks like it is still moving around on your plate, this can be tough. Remember where the Lord leads you, follow and what He feeds you, swallow. The locals usually are giving you their very best and to not eat it would be extremely offensive.
10. There is no fame or glory.
Most everything that you do won’t be seen by others and you probably won’t get many pats on the back for sacrificing your life to go change lives for Christ. But know that you are storing up treasures in heaven and that is way more important than an earthly treasure.
Bottom line is… Being a missionary is extremely tough. You have to give up your life and walk into a world of uncertainty. But the satisfaction of watching people’s lives change and turn to Jesus is worth it all! And remember if Jesus is calling you to go do His work, be honored and know that He will be with you every step of the way. 🙂
