Cross-cultural mission in particular is call to sharing in the suffering of the cross and labouring in the midst of wolves. Luke 9:57-62; Matt. 10:37-39.
However, the task of evangelizing the far-away lands becomes a labour of joyful sacrifice and gracious suffering as the missionary witnesses the help of the Holy Ghost in planting churches where Christ has hitherto not been made known. Seeing lost souls being ushered into the Kingdom through our Lord Jesus Christ makes the sacrifice and sufferings of missionaries worthwhile. This is the joy of missions work.
- MULTIPLE SUFFERING OF CROSS-CULTURAL MISSIONARIES
11:23-28; 1 Cor. 4:10-13’ Acts 16:22-24; 19:34
Many and diverse are the sufferings of God’s people on the mission field. Most times the missionary’s openness is received with suspicion, his love with hatred, his appeal with mockery and his sacrifice with contempt. Sometimes his alien or immigrant tag denies him the enjoyment of even the basic universal human rights of all citizens of democratic nations. He is an intruder hat does not worth a welcome; a foreign agent that is not worth friendly confidentiality; a roaming barbarian that is better ignored than even argued with. All these constantly befall the cross-cultural missionary in addition to his daily spiritual warfare with the rulers and powers of darkness.
From scriptural experiences, we can rightly summarizes that cross—cultural mission field is characterized with sufferings as;
- Satanic assaults, Zech. 3:1 Eph. 6:12; 1 Kings 19:4-6; Phil. 2:19-21
An unwatchful missionary may soon find himself in the pit of discouragement, moral laxity, self management, pride, lust. All these are assaults from territorial spirits. Daniel 10:12, 13, 20
- Political intimidation. Matt. 22:15-18
- Ecclesiastical suspicion. Acts 13:44-45, 50; 2 Cor. 12:7; 11:26
Religious leaders often view the missionary with suspicion. Missionaries must not be surprised to see some religious leaders collaborating with secular authorities to implicate him.
- Social contempt could be aggravated when the missionary does not speak the official language of the nation in which he finds himself.
- Parental isolation. 1 Samuel 9:5; Lk. 15:17-18a; Acts 15:36-38.
Not too many mission bodies have food, qualitative and regular contacts with their staff on mission field. The end-result may be loneliness, misjudgments of matters, absence of constant counseling and sometimes a life of self management.
- Financial hardship. 1 Cor. 4:11-12; Phil. 4:10-16; Lk. 15:14-17; Acts 18:1-3
Missionaries often battle with financial hardship. Cross-cultural mission work entails huge financial sacrifice. Blessed are the mission organization and the missionaries that count the cost before laying the foundation. Luke 14:25-30
- Emotional breakdown. Phil. 2:25-30; 2 Cor. 2:12, 13. Missionaries have been known to suffer from psychosomatic attack, metal breakdown, inferiority complex, family tension and such other psychic problems.
- MULTIPLE GRACE FOR CROSS-CULTURAL MISSIONARIES
Phil. 4:13; 2 Cor. 9:8; 12:9
God’s grace is sufficient for every missionary. There is no doubt that the missionary who is sure of God’s call and is willing to make the necessary sacrifice will always discover that he “can do all things through Christ “ who strengtheneth him
There are stated services of preachers to the world and to the church
- SACRIFICE FOR DIVINE SERVICE
Heb. 12:2; Isa. 43:2
The cross-cultural missionary is not alone on the field. He has Christi with him. All he needs do is pick the manna Service daily, feed on heavenly food, look constantly unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith and endure until the end.
And the labour is not in vain. There are rewards, great and exceeding rewards on earth and in heaven for all labourers of the gospel and much more for sacrificial cross-cultural missionaries. Daniel 12:3, John 4:35, 36; Mark 10:28-30.