Missions quotes

"To quote that noted football philosopher Vince Lombardi, 'When the going gets tough, the tough gets going.' But that begs the question. How do you get tough? Where do endurance and staying power come from, especially in the Spiritual realm, which calls for a special kind of toughness. We live in a difficult world that is not friendly to the life of a disciple. The Lord was well aware of this, and one of His great concerns was to prepare His followers for life in this hostile world. His people can be resilient and Spiritually tough. However, that resilience is not the product of determination, but of prayer."
~Gary Inrig~

"(Most people's prayers should be)cut off on both ends and set on fire in the middle."
~D.L. Moody~

"Martyrs are holy men of God who fought or stood for truth, even unto death, so that the Word of God may be made known and falsehood and fictions be overcome. Such a sacrifice is offered to God alone, thus the martyr is recieved in heavenly honor. This means that God has rewarded the faith of the martyr with so much grace that death, which seems to be the enemy of life, becomes in reality an ally that helps man enter into life."
~St. Augustine of Hippo~



"Shall we beat a retreat, and turn back from our high calling in Christ Jesus; or dare we advance at God's command, in the face of the impossible?.... Let us remind ourselves that the Great Commission was never qualified by clauses calling for advance only if funds were plentiful and (there is) no hardship or self-denial involved. On the contrary, we are told to expect tribulation and even persecution, but with it Victory in Christ."
~John Stam, Missionary to China and martyred with his wife in 1934~


"It was Christmas Eve and night was descending on the jungle. There was no way I could get back home. Back in Pennsylvania, my folks would have returned from Church and Mother would be getting the turkey ready. Outside the snow would be faling.... In Yarinachcha, six hours away, Nancy and the boys would be sitting at home alone. They knew by now, because I had been able to radio back that I was stuck in the jungle. I would not be with them for Christmas.
"Oh God," I moaned, "I'm in the wrong place."
.... That night, under my mosquito net I had a visitation from God - something like those shepherds must have had on the hills of Bethlehem. There were no angels, and no bright light. But as I lay there on my hammock, desperately homesick, I felt I heard God say:
"My son, this is what Christmas is all about. Jesus left Heaven and on Christmas morning He woke up in the 'wrong place' - a stable in Bethlehem. Christmas means leaving home, not going home. My only begotten Son did not come home for Christmas - He left His home to be with you.""
~Bernie May, Pilot for Wycliff Bible Translators~

"To conclude, therefore, let no man out of weak conceit of sobriety, or in ill applied moderation, think or maintain, that a man can search too far or be too well studied in the book of God's Word, or the book of God's works."
~Sir Francis Bacon~

"The Bible makes plain that there should be effects in Society from the preaching of the Gospel, and voices were raised to emphasize this fact and lives were given to illustrate it."
~Francis Schaeffer~

"The greatest missionary is the Bible in the mother tongue. It never needs a furlough, is never considered a foreigner."
~William Cameron Tonswend, founder of Wycliffe Bible Translators~



"The word 'give up' (in the Greek) describes the temptation to quit in despair when we are tired. Giving up is motivated by weariness that comes from living in a sinful, hostile world, feeling worn out by injustice, mistreatment, misunderstanding, and personal failure.
How do we keep going when we feel like bailing out? The cost of being a disciple tempts us to loose heart. Swimming against the current is tiring - why not go with the flow? It is easier to float than to fight. How tempting is it to drift with the current morally, socially, ethically or spiritually! How do the tough keep going - by determination or positive thinking or strategic retreat from the world?
The Lord's formula is clear and simple: "They should always pray and not give up." The antidote to despair is not determination but dependence, not positive thinking but prayer. And "should always pray" doesn't say it quite strong enough. Prayer is not something we are permitted to do if we please. The word should be translated 'must': "They must always pray and not give up." Prayer is what we are commanded to do as God's will. It is the only sure basis of perseverance, since it is the means God uses to accomplish His will in our lives.
Furthermore, we must not ONLY pray, we must ALWAYS pray ("Pray continually" 1 Thessalonians 5:17) "Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayer and requests." Ephesians 6:18. Does that mean our time must be spent in nothing but prayer? No, but it does mean that we must do nothing WITHOUT prayer."
~Gary Inrig~