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Missionary: A Biblical Definition | Paul Washer · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome to Reformed Thinking, a deep dive where we take sources
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and really try to pull out the core insights, the things that
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truly matter for you. That's the goal.
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Today we're looking closely at something many of us think we
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understand pretty well, Christian missions.
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But what really marks someone as a true missionary, biblically
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speaking? Is it just having a passion, a
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real fire in the belly? Or is there something I guess
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more fundamental? Yeah, something structural
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maybe. Exactly.
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We've got some rich material here, including insights from
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Paul Washer on biblical missions, which should help us
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grasp the foundational standards God seems to set.
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So our aim today is to unpack what it really means to be sent
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for God's work and what biblical signs identify that kind of
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person. It should help you sort through
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the common ideas floating around and get closer to what Scripture
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actually presents. That's right, because you hear
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so many definitions, don't you? Someone preaching on a street
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corner? Someone working in an orphanage
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abroad. Right, all sorts of things get
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labeled missions. And while those activities can
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be really valuable, the sources we're looking at, they lay out a
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very cohesive, biblically grounded picture.
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And frankly, it challenges quite a few of the prevailing ideas
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out there. It points to a very distinct
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vision for global outreach. So hopefully this deep dive
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gives you a don't say, a clearer lens to view those who are
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taking the gospel message across the globe.
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We'll see that being sent. It's not just about where you go
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or what you do. It's about, well, divine
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appointment and some pretty rigorous preparation, all
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happening within the local church.
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OK, let's start there then. You mentioned Paul Washer.
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There's this revealing question his pastor asked him years ago.
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I think Washer said it was about 42 years back.
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He told his pastor God had called him to preach.
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And the pastor, apparently without even turning around,
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just asks, Boy, can you be alone?
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Just like that. Yeah, and this wasn't, you know,
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about being lonely or disliked, though ministry can definitely
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involve that. This question was digging at
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something much, much deeper for anyone thinking about ministry.
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A real spiritual gut check. Oh, absolutely.
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That question gets right to the heart of the spiritual test,
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doesn't it? Especially for missions.
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The material we have puts it bluntly.
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What you are publicly is nothing.
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What you are privately, what you are before God is what truly
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matters. That's.
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Stark. It is, but think about it.
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You see people who are, you know, very active, very visible.
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Conferences, social media always talk in the talk.
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Yet the sources suggest God might not see much of them if
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all that public activity isn't flowing from a deep hidden
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relationship with him. A hidden source.
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Exactly. The ability to just be alone
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with God, spending significant time, hours even with him daily,
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That's presented as the real test.
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If someone cannot be alone with him, if they don't consistently
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carve out and protect that intimate time, the material
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suggests they're well of no good to us.
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Spiritually speaking, it's very strong, and it's especially
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critical for a missionary because if you can't sustain
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that hidden life of devotion when you're relatively
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comfortable at home, you can't be alone on the mission field.
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It's just not going to happen. Makes sense.
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The pressures are different, greater perhaps.
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Completely real spiritual strength, the kind you need to
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face. The unique challenges, the
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loneliness, the spiritual opposition on the field.
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It flows directly from that hidden time at God's feet.
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It's not manufactured by busyness or clever strategies or
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just talking about missions. It's forged in solitude with the
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Lord. That's the engine.
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Room that really clarifies the, well, the immense value placed
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on personal piety, that private walk.
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And the sources build on this, stating flat out that nothing,
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absolutely nothing, can be accomplished in the flesh.
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This points to the, I suppose, the supernatural dimension of
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Christian life and work, especially on the mission field.
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It's not just a hard job, it's presented as impossible on our
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own. It is utterly impossible in just
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human strength that the Christian life itself, really
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every part of it, is described as absolutely impossible if
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we're only relying on our natural gifts or willpower.
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You simply cannot fight your own sinful nature or the world's
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systems or spiritual forces effectively using just human
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smarts or effort. So what's the alternative?
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The alternative, according to this material, is that our whole
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life, and definitely our ministry, has to be the wisdom
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of God flowing through our mind and out our mouth.
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It needs to be the life of Jesus Christ flowing through us, which
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is enabled by the Holy Spirit. OK, so divine enablement, right?
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Being filled with the Holy Spirit, walking in constant
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communion with Christ. It's not just developed, it's
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strengthened specifically through this private time with
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Him in prayer. So a missionary has to aim,
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really aim, to practice the presence of God every waking
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moment. Every waking moment that sounds
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intense. It is, but it's not just some
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mystical ideal. It's recognizing our total
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dependence on Christ, like someone on life support depends
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entirely on that machine. That's a powerful image.
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Without that constant connection, without everything
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starting from him and flowing through him, a person, no matter
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how talented or well meaning, is nothing but a paper tiger, a toy
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soldier. They aren't genuinely equipped
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for the real spiritual battle. Their public work might look
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good, but it won't have lasting spiritual food because the
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source that private wellspring is dry.
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So that private reality shapes everything.
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Everything. OK, so moving from that inner
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private walk, that hidden source of spiritual life, let's talk
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about the Bible's place. What core beliefs about God's
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Word does a missionary need, and how should they personally
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engage with it? Seems like the logical next
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step. Absolutely foundational for
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anyone even thinking about missions.
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Their view of scripture is make or break, the material says
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they. Most believe that this book is
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inspired, that it is inherent, that it is the very word of God.
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OK, let's unpack those inspired. God breathed divine origin, not
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human ideas inherent without error in everything it affirms
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trustworthy. And very word of.
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God, ultimate authority. It's God speaking, but it goes
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further beyond what it is. They must also believe that it
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is sufficient. Sufficient that sounds.
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Cute. It's crucial.
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Sufficient means it's complete. It contains everything we need
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for doctrine and practice, everything we need to believe,
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everything we need to do in life and ministry.
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And the implications for missions?
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Huge implications. It means God does not need human
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opinions or worldly strategies added to His Word to get His
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work done. And it means He doesn't need us
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to bow our knee to cultures by watering down His truth to make
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it, you know, more acceptable. Quite the opposite, it sounds
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like. Exactly.
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God calls all cultures to bow to Jesus Christ and therefore to
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his word. That puts a lot of modern
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mission strategies under scrutiny, doesn't it, if they're
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not directly drawn from Scripture.
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It does. And this belief in sufficiency,
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it's not just intellectual. Not at all.
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It demands a really active, hands on engagement with the
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Bible itself. Missionaries are told to read it
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and read it and read it and read it to wear this book out.
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This isn't casual reading. It's consuming it over and over
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and over, marking it up, memorizing verses, internalizing
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it like you're eating it, feeding on it, meditating on a
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daily, constantly. So really living in the word.
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Living in it, the source is even worn pretty bluntly.
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If you're not reading through the Bible repeatedly, really
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wrestling with it, you shouldn't even think about being a
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missionary. That's a high bar.
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It is the clear implication is without that deep personal
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saturation in God's truth, whatever you try to do outwardly
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will lack the necessary divine substance and direction.
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You'll be running on empty, biblically speaking.
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So it's not just for learning facts.
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The Bible is also described as a tool for reproof, correction,
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and training in righteousness. How does that apply to the
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missionary personally? Sounds like ongoing
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transformation. That's exactly it.
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The word acts like both a mirror showing us where we fall short
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and a detailed manual for ongoing personal renewal.
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The material teaches is that as soon as you learn something from
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scripture, the immediate reaction of a genuine student
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should be OK. Where am I wrong here?
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Humility, then. Definitely a humble posture that
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leads straight to repentance, acknowledging the air and then
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correction, asking how do I get back in line with God's will and
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truth on this and the cycle? Learn, see the error, repent,
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correct, receive training in righteousness.
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It's meant to happen over and over and over again.
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That's the process of sanctification.
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Precisely. It's how a believer is shaped
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into conformity to the image of Jesus Christ.
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And this applies directly to how missions are done.
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The sources are crystal clear. Everything you do in missions
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must be conformed to Scripture. Or don't do it.
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No exceptions. No exceptions mentioned.
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We're specifically warned not to invent stuff, not to cook up our
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own ideas, not to imagine new ways, and not to borrow
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practices from other fields, business psychology, cultural
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trends, if they don't genuinely come from scripture.
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That runs counter to a lot of talk about innovation and
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missions, doesn't it? It certainly pushes back against
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innovation for innovation's sake, or innovation drawn from
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secular sources. There's no esoteric missionary
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knowledge invented by some PhD student that somehow overrides
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the Bible. Instead, material just keeps
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hammering at home. You need the scriptures, the
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scriptures, the scriptures, the scriptures.
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The repetition makes the point strongly.
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It does. The church belongs to Jesus
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Christ and we simply have no right to do anything, including
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missions, apart from what is written in His Word.
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That sets an incredibly high standard.
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It means the Bible isn't just a source for sermons.
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It's the operational manual for all of God's work, especially
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his global outreach. So creativity is allowed, but
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only within biblical bounds. That seems to be the idea.
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Creativity and adaptation, yes, but always tested against and
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submitted to the unchanging blueprint of God's Word.
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Anything else, however well meant, is just human effort, not
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divine work. OK, that's clear.
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Now it's interesting. The word missionary itself isn't
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actually in our English Bibles, right?
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But we use it all the time. Time.
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How does the source material connect this common term back to
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a biblical idea? Is there a link?
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Yeah, that's a great point. Missionary isn't directly there
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in English, but it has a solid biblical and historical root.
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The word comes from Latin missionario, which comes in the
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vermitry, meaning to send. OK, sending right?
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And missionary was simply the Latin translation of the Greek
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word Apostolus apostle which means sent one.
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So when we use the word missionary, we are
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etymologically and theologically saying apostle or sent one.
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I hadn't quite made that direct connection.
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It's a helpful one. The sources also bring up the
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Hebrew term shalaya, also meaning ascent one in the Old
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Testament. This could be a deliverer, a
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judge, a prophet, someone dispatched by God for a task.
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And there's a significant rabbinical saying he who has
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spoken to Shalaya has spoken to the one who sent him.
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Meaning the messenger carries the authority of the sender.
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Exactly. It reflects the relationship
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between Jesus and the Father hear Jesus hear the Father, and
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between the first apostles and Jesus hear them hear Christ.
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So this background gives real weight to understanding the
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character and the authority of someone who is truly sent.
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OK. Linking missionary to apostle
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immediately raises that big question.
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Are there apostles today? The source gives a kind of no
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and yes answer. Can you walk us through that?
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Yeah, that no and yes is really crucial for understanding the
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modern missionary role properly. The no refers to what the source
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is called the apostles of Christ with a capital A.
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Think of the original 12 plus Paul.
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The foundational apostles. Precisely.
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They were a unique, unrepeatable group sent directly by the
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resurrected Christ himself that gave them unparalleled
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authority. They had super ecclesiastical
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authority, meaning their authority wasn't just over 1
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church or region, but over all the churches.
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They were like the master builder setting the foundation.
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And they received new revelation.
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Yes, they were recipients of divine revelation, laying down
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the foundational doctrines of the church, much of which became
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our New Testament. Their specific job was to lay
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the foundation for the church. Like Paul says in Ephesians,
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these men, the apostles of Christ, with that unique
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authority and revelatory role, no longer exist today.
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We don't expect new apostles in that sense.
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OK, so that's the no. What about the yes?
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The yes refers to apostles of the churches lowercase a These
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are people the New Testament calls messengers of the
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churches. These are men and the sources
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suggest by extension women in appropriate roles who are sent
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out by their local church or sometimes a collection of
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churches to carry out a specific task.
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Sent by the church. That's the key distinction.
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They are selected and granted authority by the church to carry
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out that task. They aren't self appointed.
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Are there biblical examples? Yes, clear ones.
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Titus is called the messenger, apostle of the churches in
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Second Corinthians when he's helping collect the offering.
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And Epaphroditus in Philippians is called Paul's brother, fellow
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worker, fellow soldier, and then your messenger or your apostle,
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the one sent by the Philippian church to help Paul.
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OK. So that's the model for today.
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That's the model presented. A modern missionary, biblically
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understood, is an apostle of the church ascent one of the church.
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This whole framework shows that legitimate missionary work today
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is fundamentally about 1 biblical church planting another
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biblical church. It's church centric, rooted in
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accountability in a local church authority, not individual
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freelancers. Right.
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It flows from the church to establish the church.
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Exactly. God's plan unfolds through his
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established local bodies. So given that definition, a
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missionary is a sent one of the church.
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What's the local church's specific role in finding,
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preparing, and actually sending these people?
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It sounds like it's a much bigger job than maybe we often
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think. Oh, it's a huge responsibility
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in a very involved process. According to these sources, the
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local church is described scripturally as the household of
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God, the pillar in support of the truth.
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Pillar in support holding up the truth.
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Right. And the sources insist there's
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no lone wolf Christianity. Real spiritual growth and
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certainly discerning a call to missions happens in a community
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of believers in a biblical church.
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So how does it work practically? Someone feels a burden.
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Yeah, say someone feels a strong pull towards missions, maybe to
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a specific people group or a type of work.
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They don't just pack their bags, they go to the elders, to the
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church and the leadership, the elders.
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They pull that person in, pull them in, meaning they bring them
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close for observation and discipleship.
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They begin to look at their life, begin to test them, and
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begin to disciple them intentionally towards this
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potential calling. Testing them?
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What does that involve? It's described as a critical
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step. The Greek word used is dokimasu.
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It's like testing a metal to see its purity, to see its strength.
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So. It's not about trying to trick
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them up. No.
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It's about discernment. Is this person genuinely called?
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Are they sparsely mature enough? Do they have the character, the
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theological understanding? It's to ensure the person is
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ready to go to the field and this person can represent their
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church in doctrine and practice on the field.
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They have to embody what the ascending Church believes and
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lives. That makes sense.
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They are an extension of that church.
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Precisely. And the sources emphasize these
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candidates are not novices. They're not supposed to be
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recent converts or, you know, teenagers just psyched up after
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an emotional conference appeal. Experience and maturity matter.
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Very much ideally they should be people whose fame with regard to
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the things of the gospel has spread through all the churches.
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Fame like celebrity. No, not celebrity fame.
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It means a known reputation for faithfulness, for sound
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character, for understanding the gospel deeply, for a life that
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consistently shows spiritual fruit within the wider Christian
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community. Proven character.
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OK, so the Church's role is really about careful
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discernment, spiritual shaping, and then giving that
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authoritative stamp of approval, the sending.
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Yes, it's presented as a slow, careful, methodical process
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because the responsibility is enormous.
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That careful discernment, that vetting process, it sounds like
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a really significant responsibility for the sending
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church. You mentioned the weight of it.
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What are the implications if they get it wrong?
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The implications are serious. The sources give a stark
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warning. If a church sends someone too
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soon, if they put their hands on you too quickly without proper
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vetting, they are responsible for every error that person
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commits on the field. Wow, responsible for their
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errors. That's what the source claims.
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So elders and churches should approach sending people with
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great fear. It's not something to be done
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lightly or rushed. It puts a lot of pressure on the
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church leadership. It does.
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It requires careful, prayerful, thorough discernment, knowing
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that the church's testimony, and ultimately God's reputation is
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bound up in the person they send.
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What about the person feeling called that initial desire, that
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aspiration? So that initial desire or
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aspiration is vital, the sources say.
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God often puts an earnestness in their heart that drives them
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toward this work. Like Titus, who felt compelled,
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that inner drive is often a gift from God.
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But it's not enough on its own. Exactly.
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Desire is not enough. The real proof of whether or not
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you have the passion according to the material is that you will
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invest in the study and the work.
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Invest how? Through diligent personal study
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of the Word, through practical application of truth in their
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own life, Through active service within their local church
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demonstrating faithfulness over time, they need to show that
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commitment until godly men and a godly congregation are able to
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say, we can lay our hands on this person without fear.
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So the desire needs to be backed up by demonstrable faithfulness
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and preparedness. Precisely, it's that track
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record of spiritual growth, character, theological
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soundness, and practical service that allows the church to
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confidently say, yes, we believe God is calling you and we are
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sending you as our representative.
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OK, so within this whole framework, the Church carefully
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vetting and sending qualified people what's identified as the
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main thrust, the spearhead of missionary work, where should
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the primary focus be? The material is very direct
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about this. The spearhead of all our
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missionary endeavors should be elder, qualified men who are
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devoted to the proclamation of the Word of God.
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Elder qualified men specifically.
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Yes, specifically identified as evangelists, pastors, and
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teachers. These are described as
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doctrinally mature men whose main job, their central task is
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to preach and preach and preach and preach and preach and preach
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and preach and preach. That's a.
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Lot of preaching. The repetition really drives
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home the point. Clear, faithful biblical
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proclamation is absolutely central.
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In fact, the sources suggest that a lot of the spiritual
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weakness seen in the global church today stems from a
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failure to send out or properly equip enough men like this.
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And the basis for this emphasis? It's drawn directly from
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passages like Ephesians 4.1112, where Christ gives aposters,
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prophets, evangelist pastors, and teachers.
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For the equipping of the Saints. For the work of service to the
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building up of the body of Christ.
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Exactly. The core vision of missions here
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is 1 one biblical church planting another biblical
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church. So these men equipped to preach,
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teach and pastor are seen as essential for laying strong
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foundations, building up healthy churches, making sure new
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believers are grounded in solid doctrine and grow into maturity.
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So not just conversions, but building functioning, healthy
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churches. That's the primary aim
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highlighted for this beer head group.
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OK, but what about others? People who feel called to
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missions, but maybe not specifically to be preachers or
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church planters, are their roles seen as secondary or less
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important? Not less important, no.
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The sources definitely affirm the value of other crucial
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roles. It's clear that churches also
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send qualified people for vital supporting ministries, such as
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things like running orphanages, doing university outreach,
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medical missions, ministries focused on women or children,
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hospital work, crucial translation projects to get
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scripture into people's heart language.
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A whole range of things. So those are legitimate
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missionary roles too. Absolutely.
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These individuals, even if they aren't the primary preachers,
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are genuinely considered missionaries if, and this is the
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consistent point, they were sent out with the authority of the
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church and are judged to be qualified and adequate for this
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ministry to which she feels called.
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Same standard of being qualified and sent by the church applies.
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Yes, the material even says they should be sent with just as much
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fanfare as the missionary. Who's the preacher?
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So it reinforces that all who are officially sent derive their
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authority and standing from the sending churches careful
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process. They meet diverse but essential
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needs in building up Christ's body globally.
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So it's not a hierarchy of value, but maybe a function.
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The preachers lay the foundation, others build
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alongside. That seems to be a fairway, to
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put it The preaching elders are the spearhead for establishing
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the church's doctrinal foundation and leadership, while
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others provide the indispensable support structures and
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specialized ministries that allow the church to thrive and
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impact this community. Both are sent.
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Both are vital. OK, this brings us back around
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then for you the listener, how does all this connect back to
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the missionaries personal character that private walk we
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started with? How does who they are reflect
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what they offer the world? It connects directly.
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It's fundamentally about who they are, not just what they
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know or do, the sources emphasize.
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It doesn't matter how much you know if it's not reflected in
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your life. Knowing versus being.
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Right, and the qualifications listed in place like First
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Timothy 3 and Titus, one for church leaders, which are
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applied here to missionaries too.
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They relate almost entirely to the quality of their life,
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especially their private life, that life that only God sees.
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And not just your actions, but your mind.
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What's going on inside, in secret, where only God looks.
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That's the real measure. That's presented as the real
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measure, and then the material poses this incredibly searching
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question a real challenge. It asks, should your time in
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reading the Word, or your prayer life, or your hatred of sin, or
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your sexual purity, or your communion with Christ, or your
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love for your wife or your husband?
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Should these very private, intimate aspects of your
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spiritual walk be exported to other countries and blossom, or
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should it be quarantined? Quarantined.
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Wow, that's blunt. It is blunt and it's not
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rhetorical. It forces you to ask honestly.
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Is what I have in my private walk with God genuinely good
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enough, healthy enough, Christ like enough that I would want to
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see it replicated in a new church among the nations?
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Or is it actually lacking, maybe even detrimental?
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That makes the whole idea of the personal walk incredibly
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concrete, doesn't it? It's not abstract piety.
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It's the actual substance you're offering.
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It's a direct evaluation of your spiritual health.
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Exactly. It's a challenge for every
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single one of us listening. Would you genuinely want another
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nation, another group of believers, to inherit the
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reality of your walk with God? Let's make it practical.
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Think about your own diligence in reading Scripture.
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Is it consistent, deep, transformative, Something you'd
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gladly model? Or is it, you know, hit or miss,
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superficial, Something you'd rather not export?
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Makes you think. Or your prayer life?
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Is it a vibrant connection, a real lifeline?
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Or is it perfunctory, weak, something you'd be embarrassed
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for others to emulate? Your hatred of sin?
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Is it real, active, leading to repentance?
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Or is there a compromise you wouldn't want spreading your
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sexual purity in thought and deed?
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Does it reflect Christ's holiness?
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These are deeply personal questions.
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Deeply personal. Your community with Christ.
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Is it a living reality that overflows or just theory your
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love for your spouse? If you're married, does it model
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Christ in the church? Is it self giving or is it
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something that actually undermines the gospel message?
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This point really ties everything together.
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The private walk, submitting to the Word, being sent by the
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church are all culminated to the person.
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Is this person's life, rooted in Christ, Truly exportable?
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Without that genuine exportable life, someone might look busy on
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the mission field, but they lack the authentic spirit empowered
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reality needed for fruit that truly honors God.
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It really pushes us to check the authenticity and depth of our
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own connection with the Lord before we even think about
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representing Him elsewhere. We certainly peeled back some
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layers today looking at what biblical missions really seems
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to involve according to these sources.
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It's a deep concept, isn't it? It starts with that private walk
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with God, moves to being saturated in his sufficient
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Word, and then involves being qualified, tested, and
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officially sent by a local church.
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This deep dive has definitely given us a framework grounded in
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a Reformed understanding that might look quite different from
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some common ideas about missions.
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Absolutely. The picture we get from this
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material shows God's work isn't primarily built on our
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cleverness or our human effort. It's about His Spirit working
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through His people. People who are consecrated, who
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are deeply connected to Him privately, who are submitted to
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His Word, and who are nurtured, validated and sent out by His
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Church, all for His glory. So the question for you
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listening is, what does this does this mean for you as you
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think about your own spiritual growth, your own place in God's
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work? Yeah, maybe for you it's a call
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to carve out more intentional time alone with God, really
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seeking him in prayer and through his Word.
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Get that private walk strengthened first.
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Or maybe it's a call to connect more deeply with a solid
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biblical church, to put yourself under the wisdom and guidance of
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godly elders, letting them speak into your life.
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Maybe even discern a calling you haven't seen clearly yourself.
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Or perhaps just evaluating honestly, is my current walk
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with God something I'd want exported?
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How might focusing on that private depth reshape how you
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view being sent for His purposes, whether that's across
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the street or across the world? Something to think about.