“Daddy, I got a great idea,” my five-year old was beaming with joy.
“What’s your great idea, Jonathan?”
“We could all go to America for Christmas this year. Then, we could play in the snow.”
“That’s a great idea, son.” I responded, searching for a creative way to tell him it was out of the question. “But, there’s one problem.”
“What’s the one problem, Dad?”
“It doesn’t snow in Mississippi.”
“That’s ok. We could go to Canada, too.”
“Well, actually, there’s another problem” All problems are small and all mountains are molehills in the mind of my five-year old. “Somebody has to pay for it!”
Sounded like a good idea. Hop on a jet. Fly to the States for a few days. Spend Christmas with grandparents. Get piles of gifts from relatives. Go to Canada to throw a few snowballs. Be back home in Manila in a week or two. Yeah, great idea. No problem!
But there was a problem between maturity and immaturity and it can be summed up in a word: responsibility. Coming up with a good idea, dreaming a big dream, possessing a world vision are all great. But someone has to count the cost, take responsibility, and pay the bills. There is always a price. The bigger the vision, the bigger the price tag. The bigger the family, the more tickets to buy. The more missionaries we want to send, the more it will cost.
During a recent conversation with a well-known mission leader, we discussed our common conviction that the Philippines is destined to be a missionary-sending nation. We rejoiced that so many Filipinos are willing to go. We also lamented that so few churches seem willing to send.
This situation is not unique to the Philippines. Countless believers in many different nations have caught the Great Commission vision. They are ready to go to the nations. But as I told my son about his American vacation, there’s only one problem: Somebody has to pay for it. And world missions is expensive!
“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them. And how can they preach unless they are sent?” (Romans 10:14–15)
I’ll add a few more questions to Paul’s probing list:And how can they be sent unless someone gives? And how can they buy plane tickets unless churches take up mission offerings? How can they be supported unless pastors make missionaries a priority in their local church budgets?
All over the world, thousands have responded to the Great Commission by saying: “Here I am, send me.” It is time for thousands of pastors and ministry leaders to respond by saying: “Here’s some money, we’ll send you!”
