Reflections on Messy Missions

I started reading a book called From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya by Ruth Tucker. It's a biographical history of missions from the early church all the way up to today. It basically gives short biographical sketches of some well-known and not so well-known missionaries through the major periods of evangelism in church history. I can't tell you how impacting it has been to read this book, and I'm only a quarter of the way through. Evangelical Christians look up in awe at the great pioneers of missions - people like William Carey, Count von Zinzendorf, or Paul. But, these people were in many ways dismal failures.

Tucker does a great job of portraying these people honestly so that their successes and their astonishing weaknesses are made plain. Some of these figures whom we idealize were materialists, horrible husbands, impatient, ethno-centrists, and more. But, this has done so much to teach me that God works in spite of all of our weaknesses and sin. He took these messy people and established His Church. It's almost too amazing for me to grasp.

All of this has been doing two things in me. First, I'm not holding so high of expectations over myself and Kathi as we enter the mission field. Bottom line: we are going to screw up. We are weak and fearful, and, even worse, we're stubborn, impatient and prideful. But, God works in spite of all of that. Secondly, it is giving me such a great amazement at the love, grace, and sovereignty of God. The work of the Church has been a messy business throughout the centuries. Inquisitions, Crusades, colonialism, and Indian massacres have put a horrible stain on the Church. But, God is not daunted even by these things. He has moved and is still moving. He is so wonderful, good, and loving to all He has made!