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This is part 1 of a 4 part talk: Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
In this audio talk, Paul Tripp, John Sherwood and Paul Fisher discuss maintain that the challenges missionaries face are similar to those of everyone else in the body of Christ – we often forget that the people we send out in missions are also people who struggles with sins and sufferings like ourselves. The circumstances may be different, but the gospel that the church needs is the same gospel that missionaries need. The session begins with an overview of what life as a missionary is like. Common misunderstandings about missionaries include: 1.) The cross-cultural missionary experience is totally unique and no one can minister to missionaries unless they share that experience and 2.) That missionaries are identical to those who have never been on the mission field. We need to exegete God’s word, the person, and their world. Cross-cultural ministry challenges include: 1.) Differences in worldview; 2.) Coming back from the mission field presents unique challenges in reintegrating into their home culture; 3.) Living a life of constant goodbyes, transitions, and uncertainties; and 4.) Financial difficulties and stressors (the beggar syndrome). Ultimately, it is not the circumstances (“heat”) of missions that need to change, but the heart of the missionary that needs to be transformed.