But c'mon, joking aside, lets not beat around the bush, for every 10 decent, honest, true, laboring missionaries you know that are on the foreign field doing their "service" to the Lord, there is 50 that never made it to their intended fields. For every 10 ten that answered "the call", there are 50 that also answered, but could never reach their place of burden, or calling. There are many reasons for this. The economy would be one. Lack of support from Christians. Family hardships would be another. Financial strains of selling houses and quitting jobs, etc. But what about the processes and turmoil of gaining ones support that many call "Deputation", why does it seem to work for some, but not for others?
Deputation defined is simply "the act of appointing a person or body of people to represent or act on behalf of others." Money, is not involved in the definition, nor the gaining of funds for the representation of anything. What you find among a lot of Christians, is many of our divisions are because of our definition of terms and phrases.
Deputation, the way it is defined among many Christians today, is a 3 to 4 year process of ones life, where a man, or a man and his family, spend months booking meetings with random churches (and I do mean random), of which they spend years, traveling the nation, and even Canada and Mexico, jumping through hoops, being nice playing by other's stupid mission board rules, obeying power crazy preachers with twisted views on Missions. Sadly many, if they get to the 10/40 window, or the foreign fields of harvest abroad, they usually have to come back in a few years to get support from the brethren again.
In fact, a lot of men that I know, their entire ministries are about being at the right meetings for the right offerings. They admit to this, and talk in such ways, it's just how it is done. Some guys spend their entire years, church hopping, camp-meeting hopping, revival hopping, blowout hopping, pastor conference hopping, having the great fellowship and meals, seeing the great nation and all it's attractions, and having a good ol' blessed time in the Lord as they just continue thanking "God for putting me into the ministry."
You here guys that advocate such practices talk it up, like deputation is "boot camp" or the missionaries' "training grounds". They say, "you will meet friends for life", and "gain a lot of life experience." What is never mentioned is the foreclosures, the bankruptcies, the defrauding of the brethren, the closed buildings now being used by cults, the divorces, the split up families, and the horrible waste of money that slips through the cracks! These negatives fruits of the ministry and deputation are ignored and hushed to keep the young impressionable soldiers of the Lord coming out of seminaries, oblivious to such realities so they can merrily join the hustle.
What happens to these people, the loser-rejects, not-like-us's that never make it, many of whom I know personally just like that, who did NOT complete deputation? What happens to our brethren in the body that had such vision and drive for their desired fields of services? They talk of the great experiences of life, and all they learned, and the good old days of their failed attempts at deputation, but what did it do for them after everything was said and done, and they never reached their field? Some go back to their churches, some get upset and get mad at God, some go to other denominations, some juts quit, some join the Army, some change their ministry titles to something else. There are many variable and disorderly things that never get dealt with, much less, discussed.
We are advised to never "just go by faith" but instead to do deputation "by faith" and if it fails, they fall back into their roles as simple worker-drone church members. Wondering what happened, questioning in their hearts why they were not up to task on "how we do things". "Was I called of God?" "Was it in my head?"
"Well, I guess God changed plans!" They say defeated things like that to help with the pain of the fact that they never got to where they intended to go. Or, 2 years later, sitting in church, he might recieve another burden/call/desire! Then the process starts all over again, but then again, so does the waste! We have these young men so dependent on systems, ways, gimmicks, calls, mysticism, romanticism, that I just stopped seeing the wisdom and the good stewardship in all of it!
Were there callings not as important as the others who made it? If so, why are they no longer being utilized as productive members of the body of Christ, but even worse, they are withdrawn from. Is it truly just a crap shoot? Is it just as simple as who can network better, who can speak or preach better. Is it a matter of who is closer to the big boys in the camps? Who is better friends with the pastors, the traveling preachers and evangelist? What about the guys that chose fields that have no veteran missionary to go in under, it seems they never make it to their fields, and if they do, the horrors of what the ministry is, across continents, is very alarming!
Now, sure, we as the body of Christ tried to help them on their way, yes, but why are they never advised to just GO! I know a case where after a man struggled for 4 years on the road, traveling across the country almost 3 times, and he wasn't even close to his desired amount, THEN, he was told just to go! Now, if there was a story in the Bible, or Acts about a man like that, he would be a hero, but today, we look at this young man, who is not worldly, walks with God, and we say when he fails, "he wasn't called, he was just young and confused, he couldn't hack it, or he flaked out".
The spirit in which this guy was told to "just go already" was so off, as if, he was just wasting everyones time here, and something was wrong with him for not being on the field yet, because for most missionaries, it only takes 3 years or so, "if they have their acts together". Thats how we justify it in our heads.
He did in fact waste 4 years, no fault of his own but the system. He also wasted 3 years of cold hard cash in love offerings and support from the body of Christ! He finally had enough God in him to write to the few supporting churches he had and bow out!
Now after all that, after he was advised to do deputation first, and join with a mission board and run the whole gambit, when it feel apart for whatever reason, men viewed him as flawed, in sin. They wanted him on the field, out of their hair, away from them and it didn't matter how much support he had. They didn't even help him on his way.
Guess what, he came back a year and half later. God help us! What are we doing? Cases like this ARE the rule, not the exception! It is totally backwards how things are today.
After this poor guy listened to everyone around him as a godly teenager, sat in his church 5 years, held a good testimony, heard all the thunderous preaching at camp meetings, and youth rallies, surrendered to the call to preach, then sold himself to the ministry, then answered the call to preach, answered the call to go off to Bible school for 3 years, barely made it through on a bread and water diet, never missed work, or any classes, without any help from his pastor or home church, held his testimony before all men, then deputation for 4 years, only to fail! Why do so many cases go that way? We train guys to expect about 10 to 12 years, beating their heads against the wall, jumping hurdles, when they could be facing the same hurdles, and hardships of life in the place they felt led of God to go in the first place if they had just simply gone! They become clouded. They view the ministry as a place and not a life! The ministry is not what you are or where you are at, it is what you do, and who you are!
Imagine what these men go through in their minds. Sure they are a blessing and asset to your ministry in the church after they crawl back, and they sit and amen and shout you preachers down, help with the para-ministries, cause they are supposed to do their due diligence, be involved in fulfilling the commission, in service of the Lord.
These men, they don't wine, don't murmur, don't complain, but they are damaged goods with dashed dreams, and they would never tell you pastors. You don;t even have that kind of a relationship with them where they would tell you their heart, so don't kid yourself. You never try to get them back out there, or even let them preach in your pulpit? It stings to the bone for these men, these failed missionaries who refused to turn into mooch-inaries and play the games, and many are reeling from such experiences to this day.
Pastors? You just make them give more years of servitude to you, until you think they are ready again for some ministry of YOUR choosing for them, probably a dormant bus ministry!? Or maybe the toilets need cleaning, and you know what, these men, they would do it, because they are fooled into thinking they are serving you and God in the church of God. You guys, you Independent Baptist pastors, you guys are ethically and morally low in how you treat these men! Sorry, it's just the way it is!
If it doesn't matter how much support they get in 3 to 4 years, and you are gonna tell them to go any ways with what they have, why do we rake them over the coals with deputation? Am I making sense, probably not to you, but oh well. The only way is onward!
It must be acknowledged that deputation absolutely works for many! This can't be ignored! I mean, like clock work, some of these guys, especially some that come out of the business world, are already founded in life, have homes, children in college, etc, they network and mingle like any business man at a expo! The men who are fortunate to go to the clinics and how to meetings of the ministry, they get versed in how to do the game with great efficiency! They hit it off well all big shots at the big revivals, they have very likable personalities. Many of them are ex-business men with great social skills, others are ravening maniacs that attract support with there hard preaching and showmanship qualities just like the average hireling today.
Now, I don't see fault in that business mind if they have a gift for such trades and skill sets, however, to take the business approach to deputation, place it in the minds of young men at missions conferences, and Bible Schools, have them follow suit, mandate it for them as the "only way we do things", use pragmatics views to support it, and twist the scriptures to imply it, that is what I am talking about and where I am coming from!
There is a massive business undertone when discussing modern missions, the great commission, faith promise, and deputation! So lets just get that out there! Also, let me mention that in many pastors minds, the systematic principles of soliciting, giving, and receiving within faith promise missions giving and deputation, has no flaws, and it is how things are done. I've heard a professor tell a friend of mine to his face, when posed with a question about deputation "It's just how we do things today." Does this sound like a stand we get from anything that has to do with us being KJ bible believers!? It's just how we do things!!! C'mon people! It would shock you if I listed the name of the bible teacher that said that! He isn't a wicked apostate! He is a great teacher and preacher, I use him and listen to him still to this day. It's just their mindset, and the roots. Baptist, Independent Baptist or not, we are steeped in certain sacred cows of Fundamentalism, Protestantism, Evangelicalism, and Baptist Successionism.
I think if people feel led to go, they should go period. If it is that strong to you, and you felt the strong impulsive call of God, or the voice of God, then just go. If you feel "God spoke" to you, then sell your possessions, your cars, quit your job, and go! It's how it was done in the bible and the glory days of the 1700's and 1800's when missions first amped up.
Oh, yeah, in case you were not aware, missions philosophies are a fairly new thing amongst believers. Catholics and Buddhist were doing these things long before William Carey sorta began it all for us Prostestants! People weren't waiting on some call in the book of Acts! They were being led by other men in some cases, and some cases, just going out of their own desire to go! Look, I'm not gonna list a ton of scriptures yet, because most people will just get bogged down in it due to how deep in their deception they are. I have a "long-look" plan with this blog, so I plan out dealing very specifically and thoroughly with the scriptures. But now, I have to start with plain and simple common sense first! Just start reading the book again, in the NT, without your Baptist persuasion, and you will see a lot of this stuff! Beware the leaven of Baptist source material as well. It is full of spin!
People use terms today like, "obeying the call of Christ, going on deputation". What does that even mean? There are many Christ according to Corinthians! Christ who? "Oh preacher, you are splitting hairs!". Well, stop talking crazy talk! Say what you mean mean what you say! Don't fill our minds with your Christian psycho-babble, kingdom-building bull!
"Oh preacher, you know what they mean." No I do not sir!!! What does it mean? Why don;t you explain it to me. "Call of Christ" is not even a biblical phrase, but they have to imply some glorious, "he choose me and counted me faithful." like Paul, putting me into the ministry. We steal verses and strip them out of context for our calls and stuff, like we are Jeremiah or Ezekiel, Jonah, or Paul the apostle. I have a study with tons of these examples where men use these callings designated for Bible characters and claim it for themselves. "Oh they are just practically applying the scriptures". Really! Really! Do you listen to how these guys talk? They say they hear from the throne room of God, it is why they act as authoritative as they do. They think "the angel of the Lord" is "working with them" as he did in Acts, and actually telling them what to do and where to go. The call of Christ to FILL IN THE BLANK!
You people have issues, seriously. I think a lot of you are mental. I don't say it to slander or be mean, but it goes along way in explaining SO much error we continually see. You missions minded guys and your terminology and phrases. The called are the elite! And they work hard at building their ranks. And they separate themsleves from the pew sitters. There is preeminence in this missions minded stuff when it comes to deputation.
Now it's funny how they talk of great Christians from previous ages (street preachers are real bad about this to) Carey, Wesley, Whitfield, and all these old timers, and their missions stories and courageous examples of faith, then they try to make the hearers think that "they did it the same way" when they did not!
Many old timers believed, if you feel led to go, simply go, and God will provide or he won't. But what they would not do, what they preached against, was going to the body of Christ to gain support for the endeavor of which one felt a strong call or inclination. Funny you never hear THESE quotes and stories about our brethren, the great missionary pioneers and visionaries before us.
They would accept anything sent their way naturally, they would work naturally to provide for their ministerial efforts, but they didn't travel around like we do today, presenting slides, with emotional songs playing in the back ground, as "missionaries clones" from Bible institutes and seminaries attempt to urge the church to give to them annually or monthly. You missionaries get into the act, get worked up, force the tears to come, as the picture of some destitute pitiful sinner is thrown in our face!
It really comes down to presentation, and showmanship. Those that don't have that talent, well, it just stinks for you them! I feel bad for some young men I have seen. They just never had the help, and one that I knew, was not the greatest of preachers by their own admission. It always bugged him, because he was not going to adapt a style just to get meetings and support, and it wasn't about preaching prowess. Why are they just discounted as "no hack it" men? What if it's just their field wasn't as glamorous as the next guy? What if it's just some men aren't as good as an orator as the other guy. What if a guy was single?
I must pause here and interject something about single men. Almost every single missionary I have known has never made it anywhere! Why! Why don't we trust these guys, but we trust the guys that have their children beaten into subjection for Sunday nights presentations, and their wives sit quietly in fear of rebuke, not humility! But we think the "single thing" among our young preachers is a hinderance. We do! We don't support on single missionary!
We think he would be galavanting on, wasting his money, living it up or something, when the waste comes much more from the missionary family of 5 or 8 who travels around in RV's! I just don't understand people. Paul was single, and he advocated other men be that way! I am married, with 3 heathen youngins, and it is my lot, so I am, along with all other married men, are somewhat limited in our scopes of ministry. It's just a common fact of living on the earth. It's common sense, and not cop-outs!
A single man has himself to take care of, lives a lot less, does much more then us, and can do much good! But we gotta marry our young off. Look I am not against married or unmarried. But we do not support single men, from our flocks, in any endeavor they may think God has led them! Oh well, moving on. Did God retract what he placed on the man's heart, the things we encouraged in at church to seek?
There is LOADS of wasted money funneled into what we call deputation! Do you know how many men go to a field, spend over $100,000 on building churches and institutes, only to leave them in about 2-5 years from lack of support or visa troubles. Then the cults come in afterwards and have their buildings to use that they buy from US! This is not an investment, this is total waste and supports the growth of heresy!
But we love our buildings, they look so good on our prayer letters and pictures we send out. And the countless, HUGE offerings given to those who never even make it to the field is just GONE. You would say, "Well, at least, we were able to help them along the way". Yeah, but does God want us being wasteful in such ways? What about all that stuff you guys preach to us about being good stewards? How can you look at me and continue to tell me deputation, how we do it, is the bee's knees? I am flabbergasted at the refusal to see things how they really are under neath the surface. These things need to be brought to the surface for believers to re-examine a great many things about our methods. Does it even give you a moments pause the things I am saying.
They say deputation is biblical! You would have to twist the scriptures to teach it and advocate it, just like other things today like the great commission philosophy, this repentance theology running amuck, the tithes, the faith promise, the ways of running services, we just have some positional scriptures ready to throw out to justify ourselves to others. Sigh...you guys keep lying to yourselves about all this mess! Yeah, we know, we know it works for you and your sort. You are self serving each other!
I even view deputation to be anti-faith in many ways. We are counting on, depending on, and banking on getting our support each month. And if we don't, guess what, here we come back to the States, back on the road (loving those gas prices today) to get it back up to the desired level. We are such blinded, rich, spoiled, soft, Americans.
What about the missionaries, who I would classify as veteran missionaries, who are "way above" fully supported, you think they are going to write to the churches back home and say, "stop sending us money," as if they have enough? They just say they will put it back into missions, it's why they talk about how much they give to missions so the people are blinded to the slush funds they have for their own agendas, retirements, and children's education in private schools away from the godless natives! They say, "God gave me liberty to do such things, and I didn't feel I had to share everything with the supporting churches."
"You are knocking missions!" I absolutely am, what it has become, yes. Yes I am. "You are knocking and downgrading our heroes the missionaries!" If the shoe fits, by God, put it on, and kick the brother standing next to you!
And let me say this to, quit glorifying these missionaries like they are mini-gods or deities! Quit naming your children after them like they have some high honor bestowed upon them. Quit naming Spanish Bible translations after them. You fundamentalist with your clinics on missions where you can brainwash the poor youth about all the heroes of the faith like they belong in the scriptures or something. Man worship thriving, but well cloaked!
They are serving, yes, so they present to us! They are sacrificing, yes, so they write to us. How do you or I really know. The prayer letters? Please! They are all still flesh like the rest of us, and you stupid, stupid people waste your money on foolishness abroad while you starve the body of Christ among you! You would spit on the poor and afflicted among your own flock to send hundreds to your seminary lackeys!
The real welfare cases, injured, out of work members, when is the last time you footed one of their bills, paid for one of their meals for a month, put a roof over their head, built a house for them, helped them in their pain and need? You would rather give it to traveling, pitchmen, who put on a good show for 45 minutes when you decide to pick em up, and then they report to you every month, or 3 months, as to how God is blessing! And you say, "Glory to God we get to support missions!"
Not downplaying the true missionaries out there, on very fruitful fields, but c'mon, some prayer letters I read, it's just your life dude, you ran into this guy, gave him a track, talked to this person at the hospital, preached to these people living in the slums, needed your truck worked on so you witnessed to the people there, witnessed to some old lady, had a bunch of kids pose upon promising them candy, for a picture as you snap them showing the smiling faces. Don't kid a kidder!
What you guys write about some of you, the studying, witnessing, teaching, evangelizing, what you you don't realize is that pew sitters in churches that support you, do the same for free, everyday of their lives, without asking the church for one red cent! And they do this, while managing to juggle a job, work, family, meeting all the nazi-like requirements and mandates of their pastoral authority loving pastors! Oh, and if it is a para ministry church like a lot of you guys have today, they are SO bloody busy doing God's work, they literally, physically, don't have anytime to focus on anything else other then ministry! This explains the rash of quick-fire, smoked-out churches!
Spinning the grindstone, making a big noise and show, doing MUCH good apparently. "An appearnace of godliness". It's really up to individuals whether you believe the hype or not. No one can mandate you to support their favorite missionaries. No one can force you to give faith promise. No one can force you to give to some questionable, hazy mission project. No one can hold the scriptures to you and say, "there is missions , right there, in the word, see it?" You can read for yourself, 6th grade English, you can see the Book for what it is, as it stands. Who cares what they think it means, what does it say?
You know how many cons are living on your dime on the foreign field, right NOW, today? And we have been in the same meetings with many of them! I even think some used the church to flee the country and to run from legal responsibilities! No proof, but hey, I am entitled to my opinion like yours I suppose.
Just sayin...
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