Planting Churches Among the City's Poor - Volume 2

100 • P LANTING C HURCHES AMONG THE C ITY ’ S P OOR : V OLUME 2

B. Common misconceptions about the missionary/apostolic call

1. He must be a he.

a. Biblical rebuttal: Phil. 4.2-3 (RSV) – I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. And I ask you also, true yokefellow, help these women, for they have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.

b. The truth of the matter: God calls, anoints, and uses both men and women to fulfill the missionary call.

2. S/he must be a spiritual super-person.

a. Biblical rebuttal: 2 Cor. 5.4-6 (RSV) – Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our competence is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not in a written code but in the Spirit; for the written code kills, but the Spirit gives life.

b. The truth of the matter: God empowers the called person to accomplish the missionary task; calling includes gifting.

3. S/he ought to be perceived as a person of great success and accomplishment before they received the call.

a. Biblical rebuttal: Col. 1.24-27 (ESV) – Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. b. The truth of the matter: the missionary call is a call to suffering and faithfulness , not necessarily a call to success and accomplishment.