Do we need to sacrifice?

Sacrifice. It’s a word that comes up again and again as we live our lives as Christians. Over the past month or so, I’ve been reflecting a lot on the concept of sacrifice, especially in the context of missions.

I’ve said before that I believe some of the biggest sacrifices are ahead for the Church in the next few years. Why? Because in this age the Gospel has been spread geographically all over the globe, modern technology has allowed us to do things in missions we would never have imagined a hundred years ago. And now we find ourselves taking the Gospel to the places and peoples who are left. It’s those places that are the hardest to get to, that are the most expensive, that are the most foreign and the most hostile – these are places missionaries will be going in the years ahead.

As I think about sacrifice, I’m thinking on two levels – myself and my family and the sacrifices we personally need to make, and the sacrifices the Church as a whole needs to make. The bottom line is that the world can be reached in our generation with the Gospel, but the world will not be reached without sacrifice. It will not be reached unless we sacrifice, just as the Gospel was not purchased without Jesus’ sacrifice.

What is sacrifice, really? Isn’t the Christian life supposed to be joyful? Over the holidays, we thought a lot about how blessed we are, and I heard many other missionaries saying the same thing about their lives. So should we only be missionaries when it’s “comfortable”? Is sacrifice the occasional spontaneous cheque written at the missions conference? Is sacrifice the mechanically planned and budgeted percentage that we give to missions, in the same way that we save for retirement and plan a mortgage? Is sacrifice “burning out rather than rusting out”? Martyrdom? Giving as “God has prospered us” (only giving when God gives us a little extra)?

It’s my belief that all of us who are believers must daily give all our lives to God, all our possessions, all our time. We are Gods, period. Missionary, or not. Pastor, or layperson. Male, or female. (Rom 6:18)

Something’s missing, though – there’s another side to the whole issue. As I read what other missionaries had to say about sacrifice and choices, they say two things that sound contradictory. First, yes, there is sacrifice. Sometimes it’s painful. Second, they are usually happy to be where they are and wouldn’t trade it for anything. What they’re talking about is a life of joyful sacrifice. That phrase sums it up for me.

Yes, if we are to follow the Lord this year as a family, we need to make sacrifices. Those sacrifices will be big and small and they won’t always make us feel good. In a bigger context, however, the life of sacrifice is much more joyful than the life of hoarding for ourselves. There’s an intrinsic joy in giving. There’s the peace and joy directly from God. There’s a joy in seeing how He uses your gifts to Him. That’s why so many Christians can talk of sorrow and hardship one moment and the blessings of God the next. Sacrifice is more than just giving when it’s convenient, reaching out when we feel like it, taking time when we want to. It can be painful. But it can also be wonderful. Even when Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice, His eyes were on the joy ahead. (Heb 12:2)

In this new year, let’s dive deeper into this adventure God has given us as a Church. Let’s give more, sacrifice more, share His Word more, see Him work more, rejoice more, trust Him more, keep our eyes on Him more. Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, in my life and in the Church you are building. It’s all about joyful sacrifice.