I would like to think about missionaries for a moment.

Let's think of some of the knotheads I've met over the years.

Faith and I were barely making ends meet when we were first married. In fact we weren't really making it. We were refinancing every six months to keep up.

The pastor had asked for someone to feed a missionary family that was coming. We had never done this and we were excited plus. We cut into our regular budget heavily to do something special for them. We had barbecued hamburgers wrapped in bacon strips and a lot of little appetizers.

The evening finally came and so did the missionaries. Their kids started off the evening when they didn't like the appetizers - which was not entirely without understanding but when they started mean mouthing the main course of the dinner and their parents started talking about the steaks that most people fed them my patience as a very immature Christian was stretched to the limit.

Now let's look at some of the good missionaries we've met.

Think of the good missionaries that you've met and try to concentrate on their good points. What stands out in your minds about these people? What were some of the things which impressed you with these men and women of God.

Some of the characteristics that come to my mind are honesty, friendly, student of the Bible, patient, slow to anger and many more.

Let's consider some of the abilities which should be present in the missionaries we send forth to the field. I might add that these abilities are not unlike abilities that we should look for in all ministers of the Word.

Indeed, we should strive for them ourselves.

I am just going to list some items and comment briefly.

1. SENDABILITY:

That means SALVATION is a prerequisite!

That means SUBMISSION. Isa 6:8 God called and Isaiah responded. He went knowing the people wouldn't hear (vs. 9-10) Jeremiah was told the same thing. Ex 30:11,59 and others. Moses was told to do something - "And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying," Ex. 40:16 he did it. "Thus did Moses: according to all that the Lord commanded him, so did he." Matt. 9:38 Lord of the Harvest sends - God must be in control of your life if He is going to be able to send you.

That means FREE TO GO: Don't let a situation keep you from going! Acts 8:26,27 - Phillip left a very successful evangelistic campaign to go to another place to speak to one man. I heard that Jack Hyles related years ago that he was very hesitant to leave his first church which he had started and nurtured and seen grow. In fact he was very slow in making the decision. He was on a long trip and had been considering the decision he was faced with - to leave the growing work to go to another area to minister - Hammond, Indiana is the town - he fell asleep at the wheel. When he awoke he was about to crash into the back of an oil tanker. The tanker had the name Hammond painted across the back. He went to Hammond, IN. (Hammond Oil Co.)

Free to go also means that we should be free to travel - unencumbered by financial obligations and or other anchors. We should be pilgrims in this land. I believe it was Carey that started out to the field with a friend. The ship was stopped and both men were removed by the creditors of the friend. Carey did later reach the field.

2. DEPENDABILITY: When we attended a little church in Denver we had one family that was so very dependable. You could depend on them - the whole family (five or six) to be 1/2 hour late any time they came to church. Be it Sunday school, Morning worship, evening worship or midweek Bible study - they were always 1/2 hour late. They even were a half-hour late for their sons wedding in the church. II Tim 2. Faithful men are to be trained for God. "And the things that thou hast heard from me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also." I Cor. 4.2 Stewards are required to be faithful. "Moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful." I Cor. 4.17 Timothy was faithful. "For this cause have I sent unto you Timothy, who is my beloved son and faithful in the Lord....." Col. 4.7-8 Tychicus was faithful. "All my state shall Tychicus declare unto you, who is a beloved brother and a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord," Col. 4.9 Onesimus was faithful. "With Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother...."

This area moves into many areas of life. Titus 2.9, 10 mentions, "Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things, not answering again; not purloining...." In short be honest. Be it money, materials or time. Give an honest days work, be honest in use of equipment and don't steal.

3. BENDABILITY:

Acts 16.6-10 Paul had plans: He planned on going to Asia and God said no.

He planned to go to Bithynia and God said no. God led him to Macedonia. God was in control and guided Paul and Paul was open to that leading or changing of direction.

Christ worked differently with different people. He didn't have a "four verse" plan of salvation He had to force upon everyone he met. He worked with them according to their needs and understanding. (Nicodemous - the woman at the well)

A family went to Dallas, TX to attend Bible College. The man responding to God's call was hesitant to say yes for he knew God would send him to Africa. (He disliked black people) He told God before going that God would have to change his attitudes about blacks. When they arrived at the college the dean recommended a group of apartments near the college. They drove over and the majority of people there were black. Not just a small building, but several city blocks full of Black people. The man in his mind said no way am I going to move my family into that place. Within 24 hours the Lord had worked a situation that saw the family returning to the complex to apply for an apartment. There was none available, but the lesson was learned and the attitude had been changed.

4. IGNITABILITY: In model rocketry you have what is called an igniter. It is a small chemical device that flashes as you apply electricity to it. If the igniter is close to the solid propellant engine then you will get a quick blast off. If the igniter is not firmly seated in the propellant you may or may not get a quick blast off, indeed, you may not get a launch at all. As I view the Word I see that God has slow igniters and He has fast igniters yet he is happy with them all in the end. The emphasis is on the launch. God doesn't care if you are slow or fast only that you get off the pew, I mean the launch pad. True, God would rather not have slow igniters yet he is always pleased with them in the end.

SLOW IGNITERS: Moses Ex 3&4 But I'm not eloquent - but they won't believe me. Gideon Jud. 6.12ff He was slow to believe God. Had to lay out some fleece.

FAST IGNITERS: Joshua Josh. 1.1-11. God spoke and he acted. (spoke 1-6; acted 10-11) Isaiah Isa. 6.6-8 Who will we send-who will go - here am I Lord, send me! Stephen Acts 6.5 selected WILLING, Acts 6.6 WORKING, 6.8 WITNESSING, 7.60 WINGING. From servant to heaven in two chapters!

REMEMBER, the speed of ignitability often depends on the proximity of the igniter - the Holy Spirit to your life!

5. IMITATABILITY:

We've all seen the commercial of the boy and father - the dad skips a rock on the pond and the kid follows his example. Both sit down under a tree - father takes out cigarette and throws down the pack - the kid picks up the pack and starts to pull out a cigarette. If you're around our family long you'll find out that my children love corny jokes. You won't have to be around me long to know why.

Christ is our example: John 13.15 in washing of the disciples feet. "For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you." I Pet. 2.21-23 In how He reacted to revelers. "

Paul is our example: I Cor. 4.14-17; I Cor. 11.1 "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ." Phil. 3.17-19. He knew that his life was centered and based on Christ and that he was an example to other believers in his life.

Could you feel free to challenge others to follow your example?

6. DISPENSIBILITY:

Know that he will die one day. The missionary must not build his work upon himself for when he dies the work will suffer greatly. He must build so that he can be replaced overnight. I met a pastor in northern California that had his men so well trained that they cover the preaching when he is gone and could take over if he left on a days notice. Another pastor in Oregon had his men filling pulpits for pastors that went on vacation.

He must know when to leave a work. When it is on its feet - turn it loose and move on to other works. The goal of any missionary should be to work himself out of a position.

Know that he isn't as important as he thinks. GOD CAN DO THE WORK WITH US OR WITHOUT US. HE LIKES TO USE US WHEN WE REALIZE HE IS DOING THE FAVOR OF LETTING US WORK WITH HIM NOT THAT WE ARE ALLOWING HIM TO USE US.

We may labor with very little fruit for years. But that little fruit may be a Carey or a Moody or a Taylor.

NOT ALL OF US WILL SET THE WORLD ON FIRE! The men that contacted the Accua Indians lost their lives in South America very quickly. Many were saved through it, however much later.

A young lady from Portland, OR went to Europe to serve in a printing ministry and was killed in a car accident within weeks of her arrival. Fruit? None that we know of. However God had His plan complete in her life.

I gave my freshman Genesis class an extension on their term paper due date. A couple of days later a senior class began moaning and groaning and asking for an extension. One of the students mentioned, "But you gave the freshman one." I said, "YES, BUT I AM SOVERIEGN AND I DO WHAT I WANT TO! I DO AS I WILL!" She immediately stopped with her line of reasoning.

7. UNDERSTANDABILITY:

For example: "...existential phenomenology seeks to elucidate the existential nature of social structures by uncovering the surface institutional phenomena of the everday, accepted world; by probing the subterranean, nonistitutional social depths concealed from public gaze, by interpreting the dialectic between the institutional and the noninstitutional..." from Sociology of the Absurd. p 71 The joke is - I'm beginning to understand some of that stuff.

One of my professors in school was the youngest Doctorate to graduate from Dallas at that time. So very knowledgeable, but he could not communicate on the level of students. He forgot that his students didn't have a doctorate in theology. He did do better as time wore on thank the Lord.

A retarded person came to a mission asking to serve. The mission finally allowed him to work in the area of a manual labor job he could handle. They took him to the field. One day in the bush he disappeared for a short time. When he returned he told them he had been visiting the such and such tribe. The missionaries knew of no such tribe. A few days later he disappeared again. It was a week or so before he showed up with one of the Indians. The Indians had taken to the young man. The contact led to the salvation of many due to this lads chance meeting of a nomadic tribe that had not been heard of before. God is able to use all kinds.

8. SERVABILITY:

Willing to serve others as Christ taught in the washing of the disciples feet in John 3.2-5, 12-16.

A single woman missionary from South America mentioned the problem of missionaries getting along with one another. She hit the nail on the head when she said, they are all trained leaders - all chiefs and no Indians. When they serve they do well together.

A pastor was called to serve a small church that had run off a number of pastors after only a few months. He stayed for several years. Someone asked one of his congregation why this man had stayed so long. The man stated that this pastor was willing to get out and work with the people. He was even known to come out to the ranches and help out on the machinery when they had trouble. Because of this he was able to reach an old rancher that had been very cold toward the church and the Gospel. The rancher had an old piece of machinery that needed work and could find no one to work on it. The pastor had been a rancher and had owned a piece just like it many years previous. He went to the rancher and offered to fix it for him and through the contact was able to lead him to the Lord.

9. MOLDABILITY:

Matthew the tax collector became a disciple, Peter the fisherman became a preacher, Carey quite school at 12 to become a cobbler, yet became a great missionary and linguist, Derickson the TV technician became a teacher, you fill in the name - became a minister or missionary

He can use any of us if we are His to use and willing to change.

10. ACCEPTABILITY:

Doctrinal correctness.

Living correctness. Living a Godly life. This is important in almost all countries. The people watch to see how you live. Living in a manner that won't offend the people you are ministering to. This is not much of a problem in Europe, however it can be a problem in some cultures.

These are qualities you should be looking for in people in your church. Nurture these qualities in people. These people may be future missionaries and pastors.

Christ is, so to speak, the Commander in Chief of His army. He has a worldwide battle to fight. We are at war spiritually. We must have soldiers at the front. Consider this yourself. Encourage others you know to consider God's marching orders.

During WWII we won by the grace of God and because Americans were unified in their effort to win. Why did they win?

1. Unity to defeat the foe and to win. Everyone disliked the foe and how the foe was treating the world.

2. Everyone sacrificed to get the job done. They sacrificed the comfort and ease of living.

3. Everyone gave all they possibly could.

4. Most were willing to go to the front to confront the enemy.

5. The rest sent them.

NOW APPLY THESE TO OUR SPIRITUAL BATTLE TODAY. We need this today among Christians. Most Christians don't know we are at war today! Most don't really care if they do know we are at war.

11. SENSIBILITY:

You need to be sensible enough to know that these are goals. You aren't born this way. God can make you this way however. Someone has said, "God does not call those who are fit; He fits those whom He calls."

A man about 30 years ago was laying in bed praying. He felt God wanted him to go into the ministry. He was super shy. He stuttered badly. He smoked. He cussed. He was hot tempered. He was ignorant of the Bible. He was over $6000 in debt - in the 60's. He said okay Lord but you have a lot of changes to make. TODAY HE IS IN THE MINISTRY.

God isn't looking for pre-made ministers or missionaries - though He won't turn them down if they come along. He is looking for you as you are - He will make the changes and updates that are needed. Your response needs to be HERE AM I LORD, SEND ME.

12. OBEYABILITY:

Heb. 13.7, 17 mentions that the church folks are to obey the elders. We all have those that we are to follow, be we church members or workers or ministers of the Word. Titus was told to speak and exhort and rebuke with authority. We should have men that can lead and those that can follow.

A speaker in chapel mentioned that a Canadian military officer had told him once, "He that would command, must first learn to obey." Those are some word's of wisdom for today. We have no place in our pulpits and boardrooms for men that can't obey their Lord and their superiors.

13. FRUITABLITIY:

We all are called to do a job for Christ. Matt. 28.18-20; Acts 1.8 etc. show us clearly that as we are going we are to be witnessing and discipling.

14. TEACHABILITY:

We must be open to learn from all believers. The teacher must be free to learn from his students or he will soon be embarrassed. II Tim 3.14 mentions continuing in what has been learned. II Tim. 2.24 mentions that we are to be apt to teach if we are to aspire to the office of elder. There may be two sides to that phrase. Not only are we to be able to teach, but to be teachable. You cannot teach unless the Word and the Lord have first taught you.

15. MATURABILITY:

We are to be mature in the faith. I Cor. 16.13 tells us to "stand fast in the faith" and 13.11 talks of putting away childish things. We are to be maturing believers. In the process not sitting idle. Read Eph. 4.14-15 when you have a chance.

Maturity comes when we face problems like an adult. Maturity comes when we have a realistic view of our abilities. Both high and low view of our abilities.

Our children had no concept as they were growing up that dad might not be able to fix everything. One day one of the boys plastic guns broke and I tried every kind of glue I could find and none would hold. I finally told him that I was sorry but that I didn't think it could be fixed. He was so disappointed I couldn't believe it. It was disappointment in dad not being able to fix it, more than in the broken gun.

Rom. 12.3 may fit here. It has to do with having too high an opinion of yourself. "...not to think of himself more highly that he ought to think...."

Maturity comes when we are self-disciplined. Lack of maturity in a child is lack of attention span. If you have a person that starts a project, but doesn't like to finish it you have an adult with a short attention span. There may well be a lack of maturity in that life. This is quite probably why we have pastors staying in churches for only a year or two. They don't have the sticktuitiveness required to work through to a long ministry.

16. LAUGHABILITY:

If you can't laugh at yourself you can never be a missionary or Christian worker without problems. There is no Scripture for this however it is essential.

One year when I was teaching three faculty members were placed in the front of the student body and whipped cream was placed on their noses. Students were then given water guns to try to wash the faces off. The whipped cream tasted pretty good until the water came.

17. HUMBLEABILITY:

James 4.6 tells us that God resisteth the proud but giveth grace to the humble. Do all jobs as unto the Lord - even the distasteful! When we were janitors at our church we found who the humble were. The teachers in the lower grades would not clean up "accidents" in the children's bathrooms. They would come and tell the janitors.

18. CONTENTABILITY:

Phil. 4.11 Paul tells us he was content in whatever state he was in. He was speaking in the context of money. Content with much money. Content with no money. I Tim 6.6-8 tells us to be content with food and raiment. Give your children the attitude of contentment. It is hard in a society where Jordaches, Levis, Nike's etc. are absolute musts.

"For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content." Now be honest! Is that the attitude of this world? NO!

Well, how many of you feel you measure up to this list?

Remember now! # 17 HUMBLEABILITY!

We speak of missionaries yet these are abilities every one of us should be striving for!

GOD DESIRES WE

1. BE SENDABLE

2. BE DEPENDABLE

3. BE BENDABLE

4. BE IGNITABLE

5. BE IMITATABLE

6. BE DISPENSIBLE

7. BE UNDERSTANDABLE

8. BE A SERVANT IN ATTITUDE

9. BE MOLDABLE

10. BE ACCEPTABLE

11. BE SENSIBLE

12. BE OBEDIENT

13. BE FRUITFUL

14. BE TEACHABLE

15. BE MATURE

16. BE HUMOUROUS

17. BE HUMBLE

18. BE CONTENT

May we strive - now remember - strive Biblically has the idea many times of agonize. May we agonize to make these qualities a part of our everyday lives.