Holding The Rope (Part 2)

We see clearly in the Bible that there is a command for some to (in the context of missions) "Go...and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:16-20). We recognize this as a clear and direct command from Jesus. We also know that not all are called to go. But what does that leave for the rest of us to do? Dr John Piper often says  "There are only three kinds of people:goers, senders, and the disobedient". When those who are not missionaries are faced with this statement they are left with a choice of sending or disobeying. When we think about this, we are faced with 3 questions:

1. Is this concept Biblical, or is John being too harsh?
2. If it is Biblical, does sending really play a role in world missions?
3. If it is Biblical, how do we (the non-goers) send our missionaries well?

Last time, we answered the question "Is it Biblical to say that one must either go as a missionary, send (support a missionary), or be disobedient?". What we discovered is that God is fairly clear: He commands those of us who are not on the field to support those who are. I think we can all agree that to not follow a direct command is called disobedience. So by now we are left to wonder what role sending has in global missions? It is not as if we are over there telling people about Christ! Can something so simple really be that important?

What impact do senders have?

While supporting somebody else may not seem as if it can make a huge difference for Christ's fame in the world, I am here to tell you that it can. When William Carey, the father of modern missions, was preparing to leave for India, he gathered his closest friends together and began to speak about the people he was going to bring the gospel to. He compared them to miners trapped in a caved in mine. He said "I will go down, if you will hold the rope". He then made them swear, that as long as they were alive, they would never let go of the rope.

Let's stay with this image for a moment. Carey was willing to risk his life, to go down into a dangerous mine, to save the lives of the miners who were trapped. However, he needed one thing, somebody to keep him from falling and becoming trapped himself. Obviously, if you put weight on one end of a rope, but do not have something (or in this case somebody) to grab the other end and hold on tight, you WILL fall. Without supporters, William Carey and missionaries would fall and be lost.

So if we think about it from this angle, who has the more important job? The man on the end of the rope, helping people to begin the climb up, or the people up top, holding the rope which bears the weight of not just the missionary, but of everybody the missionary has helped onto the rope? OF COURSE IT IS THE ROPE HOLDERS! Without them, the missionary would simply fall to their death! Therefore supporters play just as big of a role (if not a bigger one) than the missionary who is out on the field! While it may seem insignificant because we are not able to see the results in this life, I am here to tell you, that supporting a missionary is one of the biggest ways to play a role in global missions, because without faithful rope holders, the missionary would not make it past the mouth of the mine.