So You Want To Be A Missionary?

"So You Want to be a Missionary?"– Herbert Tsang 曾浩斌

How blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in His commandments. -- Psalm 112:1
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice. -- I Samuel 15:22

Being a Christian is not an easy road and sometimes we have to make tough choices. I have come across many Christian friends who have set out to become a special kind of “missionary”. They are dating people who are non-Christians, hoping that they would become Christians one day. This is dating mistake number one!

Of course all non-Christians may have the “potential” to become Christians, but a romantic relationship is NOT the place for this. “Missionary dating” usually ends up weakening your own commitment to Christ, rather than bringing your love-interest to God. After all, you would have already lowered your standards to accommodate the relationship. The other party can assume you will remain in the relationship “regardless” of whether they take the step to become a Christian! It’s normal to “want” to stay strong but end up compromising. So why do we put ourselves to such a test? Do you think you are so strong in Christ that this is a non-issue? If so, you overestimate yourself and underestimate the power of Satan! Or is it rather that your life is still not entirely committed to the Lord? You refuse to acknowledge God’s view on your decision for a life partner. This is not mere foolishness. More significantly, this shows a lack of respect for God.

Dating should be one of the most important events in a person’s life, seeing that this should eventually lead to marriage, a bonding with a partner for life! Unfortunately however, some people take God’s principles only “lightly” with regard to this matter. They do not pay attention to instructions and warnings God has given us through His Word. Frequently, we can be attracted to someone by other factors and be tempted to disregard what our God has already taught us through the scriptures.

The biblical principles regarding marriage are clearly stated in the following passages (quotes from New American Standard Bible):

Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God? (II Corinthians 6:14-16)
Do not be misled: bad company corrupts good character. (I Corinthians 15:33)
"Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit . . . honor God with your body." (I Corinthians 6:19-20)

If the bible clearly states this is not the way to go, why are some Christians still so interested in being this kind of “missionary”? I wish we would all re-evaluate our relationships and follow what the bible teaches us. Let us yield to God the honor that is due Him! So…do you still want to be a “missionary”?

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