Victor Plymire sailed across the sea in the early 1900’s. He traveled from the United States to Tibet and fought hard to learn the Tibetan language and win souls. He endured hardships, buried family members in Tibet, and kept going. He shared the Gospel and handed out Bibles for sixteen years before he won his first friend to Jesus. Then Victor built a church that would later be filled with believers. Lost people were being reached. One hundred years later, that church still stands, and men and women of God still worship in it. How did he do it? What was his secret? What makes a missionary a missionary?
Victor knew Jesus intimately. Jesus is the source of all spiritual knowledge, power, and intimacy. That’s the most important thing. He didn’t become a missionary on a boat ride overseas. He didn’t become a missionary riding a mule through the Himalayas. What made him a missionary was that he loved God and fought for the souls of the people around him. His life’s work was to reach the lost.
If a selfish person went overseas, what difference would it make? Would they be a missionary? No, they would not. It is not where you are, but who you are that really counts.
As a campus missionary, I want to represent Jesus well at Queens College, but not just there. I also want to be a light on the train, in the grocery store, at church, at home, and anywhere else I go. To act like something one place and not the other is to be an actor. Actors pretend to be someone on screen, but are themselves when the cameras are off. That is not who we are. We are disciples and disciple-makers 24/7— when we think someone is watching and when we don’t.
Jesus was God in heaven. What amazes us about Jesus was that he came down and was God on earth. He changed His location, but He stayed the exact same. That is what makes a missionary. It is about who you are. If we love Jesus, our family should know, our friends should know, and our coworkers should know; even strangers should know. If God has called you to go serve Him overseas, the best thing you can do is start doing now what you will do later. Reach the lost for Jesus!
To put it simply- make a friend on purpose for Jesus.
Your mission field is where your feet are. God has placed you in a distinct time, a unique location, with a specific circle of influence that only you can reach. You have classmates and coworkers who may never enter a church. They may never talk to a pastor or read a Bible, but they are around you every day. Open your eyes, and pray for God to help you reach them.
Jesus said in Matthew 28:19-20
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Right now, everyone can pray for missions, give money to a missionary, and most importantly BE ON MISSION WITH JESUS. Start to look at your home, neighborhood, school, and workplace as a mission field. Begin to ask God to give you influence. You are not there by accident. You are there to be used by God and be a light in the darkness.
Just like Victor, just like Jesus,
YOUR MISSION FIELD IS WHERE YOUR FEET ARE
Practical Application:
1. Walk out the front door and do a lap around the block without your phone. Ask Jesus to show you what He sees and how you can help (try it everyday for a week)
2. Next time you’re on the train or bus or Uber don’t put your head phones in. Make eye contact and start a conversation. Share Jesus with them however you can.
3. Next time you are at work and some starts to bad mouth a coworker or boss say something positive about that person and exude gratitude.
- Craig Richey