More than 30 years ago I became captive to the call of God to be on mission with Him wherever He chose. I had spent over 15 years in music, youth, and education ministry in Texas and Oklahoma. One day a pastor from the Chicago area called and wanted me to come in view of a call to minister in his church in the Chicago area. I literally started laughing and told this pastor that God would have to burn a bush to get me to move to the Chicago area. A year later we were on our way to Zimbabwe, Africa as music missionaries. God has a sense of humor and used that experience to show me I was putting limitations on where and how I would serve Him.
A crisis of Lordship took place in the next few months, with God showing me I needed to not just sing the words, but be willing to go wherever He led. I came to that point after a missions emphasis in that church led by our present pastor. After my wife and I sang "Here Am I Send Me" in the service that day, I told my wife that the Lord would have to close the door or we were going to the mission field. That was the beginning of our journey that took us to Zimbabwe as missionaries.
We became captive to the call of God to be a part of His mission force. God gave me courage over the fear of going to a foreign country, doing new and different ministry, and facing the unknown. Courage to face the fact that there would be times I would be in danger of being attacked in the bush by dissidents who were waging war on anyone like us after the war of independence. Driving through areas where dissidents had been reported, I would find myself singing the words from "A Mighty Fortress": "...the body they may kill, His truth endureth still." This weekend I heard that Ron Dunn once said, "I have hit bottom, and it is solid." Also a statement from Barnhouse, "I am indestructible - until God is through with me." What testimonies of God's faithfulness!
Because of our freedom in Christ we are all captive to the call. We are captive to the call of God to be involved and engaged with Him on mission to a world lost and dying, to places where they have never heard the name of Jesus. We are captive to the call to go.......to pray....... and to give sacrificially so that others may go, and millions may hear. mjm
