What is a Missionary?

What is really a Missionary? Here is what the dictionary says.

A missionary is a member of a religion who works to convert those who do not share the missionary's faith; someone who proselytizes. The word "mission" is derived from the Latin missionem (nom. missio), meaning "act of sending" or mitto, mittere, literally meaning "to send" or "to dispatch",[citation needed] the equivalent of the Greek-derived word "apostle" from apostolos, meaning "messenger".

Here is the Bibles definition of a Missionary.

Matthew 28:18-20 (King James Version)

18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

There you have it. The dictionary plainly expresses the fact that a Missionary is someone that is sent and the Bible says that Jesus is the one who as sent us to Go and teach all Nations. These verses does no specify who is being sent. This is a general commandment for all Christians. We are commanded to all be Missionaries.

Does this mean that we have to leave our home, our town, or our state? The answer is no. There are several different types of missionaries but the two most common our home and foreign. Each has a special calling and one is no greater than the other. Yes, foreign does sound more exciting but a soul is a souls in the eyes of the Lord no matter what color or race the person is. There are so many lost people in the U.S. today and they need people to preach to them, to befriend them and show them the love of Jesus. Countries around the world also need to know about Jesus and His precious mercy and grace for us.

This is the bottom line. Let us not confuse the world missionary with something that is exciting and exotic. It is a calling that for all Christians go wherever God leads them with the purpose of winning lost souls for the kingdom of God.

Samaritan Revival does home missionary work and foreign missionary work. Why? Because no matter where we are, we are going to be a witness for Jesus.

Philip Tyson