Being a missionary is like being a doctor on a plane

People often assume that being a missionary is like being a family doctor with an office, regular patients, and an established practice.

They assume that you need to have a years of theological training, you need to have an established and visible church presence, and you need to have a regular set of people to work with.

But this is not how things look when someone goes to spread the gospel among unreached people, in places that have little or no Christian witness.

When we go to reach dying souls in the darkest parts of the world, we don’t go to some established place with many other hospitals and doctors. We don’t get to have a nice and respectable office or practice set up. We don’t get public recognition or respect.

We’re just seemingly ordinary people, sitting on the plane. But when the moment strikes we’re ready to get up and save a life when there’s no-one else to do it. We’re ready to tell people how they can be reconciled to God through Christ when they have no one else around who can answer their spiritual hunger.

When a doctor is sitting on a plane, he may not look or feel as productive or effective as his colleagues working on the ground in their established offices. But that does not mean that his job is any less crucial.

And remember, to be a this kind of ‘doctor’ sitting only a plane, you only need two things:

• A living knowledge of Jesus
• Patience to learn the people’s language

Who will leave their busy practices on the ground, let go of their patients and salaries, and dedicate themselves to getting up in the air with those that have no doctor?