It's always best to begin at the beginning

I am not a missionary . . . not in the common sense of the word.  I have participated in short-term missionary work (stories to follow in subsequent posts) for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but never accepted a vocational call to full-time foreign mission, which is the classic definition of "missionary."  Even so, anyone following Jesus Christ must come to terms with his missional directive, stated most succinctly in Matthew 28:19-20:  "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Evangelical Christianity, for that matter, all of Christianity is missional.  It derives its purpose for being from the life and example of Jesus of Nazareth.  We must be in mission, available to the Holy Spirit's direction for the how's, where's, and who's of mission . . . yet, we know the why:  He gave us new life so that we might give it to others.  It is in this sense that I refer to myself as a missionary, distinct from those who leave their homeland to serve Christ in foreign cultures, so that some might be saved.

This week I am beginning formal training to be a missionary . . . in the widest possible sense certainly, but with the narrower possibility of foreign service.  I hope that my prior, formal academic training in Greek, Hebrew, biblical studies, systematic theology, church history, pastoral care, etc. will be augmented by inter-cultural studies.  I believe that my education up to this point has somehow been incomplete.  I hope and pray that this education will move me in the direction of God's ultimate use of His servant.  I also hope that you, as a reader of interest, might engage with me in this journey to help us both reach meaningful conclusions about God's intentions for both our lives.  Welcome to the life that never ends!

Humbly God's servant,

---Disciple of Thomas