UNLIKELY MISSIONARIES
Paul E. Grant
Published in ：Music & Poetry in
Missions； www.globalmissiology.org
January 2008
Over a lifetime of reading
About missionaries of many kinds
I・ve come to an understanding
That God seems strangely inclined
To choose and use the most unlikely,
Baffling conventional psychology
Think for example of John Newton
Slave-trader and profiteer
：Amazing grace； and sins forgiven
Transformed this buccaneer.
Later, a preacher and hymn-writer,
Evangelist and Jesus-promoter
Mary Slessor with little
education
Became the ：Queen； of Calabar;
Single, she had huge compassion
For the people of
She worked for almost forty years
Loved by Africans as their overseer
These two examples illustrate
A theme of Hebrews Eleven
That God・s missionaries would radiate
An ethos unique to heaven;
People whose primary education
Would be grounded in Christ・s revelation
By ．missionary・ I mean those who hear
And respond to the call of Jesus,
For them he is the dearest of the dear
Eternally illustrious.
They know he has sent them as his witness
For them it is part of spiritual fitness
The noble Christian mission saga
Has been written by this world・s rejects,
God sees them as his people of wonder
Heralds of his Eternity project.
Of them this world has not been worthy
Though they are God・s aristocracy
Each believer is called to mission
To dignity, passion, integrity,
To each is given God・s commission
And his Spirit・s power in entirety.
What an honour! What a
calling!
What a function! So
enthralling!
By this world・s values we are assessed
As those who are the most unlikely
To ever ：succeed； or achieve the best
In terms of cultural theory.
God・s messengers scorn
temptations
Of this world・s accreditations
I will destroy the wisdom of the
wise,
Where is the philosopher of this
age?[1]
Jesus・ message was Eternity・s prize.
For he had come to set the stage
For a Kingdom that would never end
Peopled by those who would learn to transcend
Learning and training and
all theology,
Cultural norms and social methods
Must submit to Jesus・ scrutiny
And be corrected by biblical standards.
In these ways missionaries are made
In these ways they achieve God・s grade
While Jesus・ message was counter-cultural
He sends us back into our social settings,
There we act in ways that
are Scriptural
To confront and transform with blessings.
Only the Truth will set people free
Whatever their cultural identity
The Gospel, above all messages, radical,
In particular ways is a dare,
It calls me to die and be evangelical
And submit to the Spirit・s flair.
：The most unlikely to succeed；
Will, by grace win, in word and deed
So we are forced to reassess
Our culture・s ethics and values,
Christians as missionaries are sent to bless
This world with transforming virtues.
The mission task is not completed
Will I, Gideon-like, stay self-defeated?[2]
But Gideon, the reluctant commando,
Responded to God・s direction,
By obedience he became a hero
And experienced a powerful unction.
In his weakness he became strong
By Spirit power confronting wrong
：Unlikely missionaries； have their trust
In the Spirit・s power, not
wisdom[3]
This is the energy that gives the thrust
To the testimony of their freedom.
God chooses and uses those
who obey
Mistrusting their own plan and way
The Hebrews Eleven gallery of heroes
Are those who others would disregard,
They are shown as God・s precious maestros,
And part of Heaven・s vanguard.
The despised, foolish, humble, and weak[4]
Shining there in Heaven・s mystique
The world by its wisdom does not know God,
He shames and negates its seeming worth,
He calls and honours the ones rejected
For they were so destined before their birth.
To history・s great astonishment
The ：unlikely； are used for
his accomplishments
Paul E. Grant
February 2007