"If we want to preach in the modern world, we must first be willing to listen to the questions of others; if you spend too much time giving answers and ignore the struggles deep in the soul of the other person, then no matter how correct your answer is, it will not touch their heart."
— Francis Schaefer
Source: Rational Avoidance
Missionary work, questions, answers, and the human heart
Views: 185
"Missionary work is not about bringing Christ into a strange culture, but about humbly entering the world of others, taking off our shoes first, listening first, and shedding tears first. We do not compromise the truth because we understand the other person; on the contrary, it is precisely because we are certain that Christ is the truth that we have the courage to approach them not out of a sense of superiority, but out of love."
— Leslie Newbkin
Source: The Gospel in a Pluralistic Society
Missionary work, culture
Views: 166
"Missionary work will not stop because of difficulties, but will become stronger with each struggle. True missionary work is not done in safety and comfort, but in revealing God's glory through sacrifice and dedication."
— William Carey
Source: The Last Words of the Father of Mission
Missionary work, difficulties, dedication
Views: 163
"Our greatest failure is not being rejected, but failing to try because we fear rejection. The path of missionary work is bound to be filled with storms, but only through the grace of the Lord can we overcome the mountains."
— Hubert McWilliams
Source: The Challenges of Missions
Missionary work, rejection
Views: 163
"People always seek God's will in the outcome, but I seek Him in a long, endless process. People accuse me of being too fanatical, of employing impure people, and even of blurring the lines between missionary work and politics. But they have never heard the groans of a closed-off nation in the dead of night. If, in order to open that iron gate that has been tightly shut for a thousand years, I must resort to the ships of trade or the letters of politics, then let history judge my methods. My only fear is not being misunderstood by my contemporaries, but that when I stand before the judgment seat, the Lord will ask me: 'Why do you hesitate outside the door, and dare not enter?'"
— Karl Friedrich August Gützlaff
Source: A Record of Three Voyages Along the Chinese Coast
Missionary work, politics, trade, misunderstanding, hesitation
Views: 42