TO KNOW HIS WILL

John Piper has this to say about the missionary call: “The calling is not authoritative the way the Scriptures are... You can’t claim it to others the way you quote Scripture to them. Nevertheless, your calling can be profoundly and durably sure in your own heart. It is the work of God to bring your heart to a point of conviction that, all things considered—including Scripture—this path is the path of obedience. The conviction is not infallible. But when it is of God, it brings peace.”

Piper suggests ten ways that the missionary calling is awakened in you. The Bible is infallible. All the other ways are relative, and they are not exhaustive.

1)    Know your Bible. Saturate your mind with it. God’s Word will shape your mind for mission sustainability (Psalm 1:1-3) and keep the fire within you alive (Luke 24:32).

2)    Know your gifts and know yourself. Knowing your gifts strengthens your convictions. Knowing yourself informs you of your fitness for ministry.

3)    Consider the needs of the world. Be informed. What we know can move our hearts and minds toward commitment and action (Matthew 9:36-38).

4)    Read missionary biographies and frontline stories. Beholding so great a cloud of witnesses, your vision and desire to serve will grow (Hebrew 13:7).

5)    Search your soul. Ask where your burden lies.

6)    Know your circumstances. Family, health, finances—they all matter in your calling. You count the cost. But these can all be overridden when you are fully surrendered to Christ (Mark 10:29-30).

7)    Pray to be used to the fullest for God’s glory. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (James 1:5). Pray, pray, and pray.

8)    Do not neglect Christ-exalting worship. The call to Barnabas and Saul came while they were worshipping and fasting (Acts 13:2).

9)    Seek the counsel of mentors (2 Timothy 1:5-7).

10)  Be fully yielded to Christ. Give your all to God. A half-hearted worker is ineffective, bears little fruit, and will not last on the field (Luke 14:26-27).