Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
About GFA
Ministries
Free Resources
Social Media
- Facebook
- Instagram
- Pinterest
- Twitter
- Youtube
Archives
FREE NEWSLETTER

Home
Evangelical
‘More of a Lifestyle, Less of a Job’

‘More of a Lifestyle, Less of a Job’

Last updated on: October 29, 2022 at 5:18 am by GFA Staff Writer

‘More of a Lifestyle, Less of a Job’ 2022-10-29T05:18:03+00:00 GFA Staff Writer

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA) – Discussing about the behind-the-scenes missionaries who, although they are far from the mission field, are vital to make ministry possible in Asia.

The morning sun shines over the Mumbai slums. It is the beginning of a new day, and Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported pastor Marty reaches into his bag and pulls out some literature. He scans the dirty faces of slum dwellers and realizes today might be the day they could understand how completely they are loved by God. Across the globe, as the sun shines on the small town of Wills Point, Texas, Jonathan stares at his computer in front of him.

He glances over at the pictures on his office wall and remembers the masses around the world who are waiting to know they are loved. Both men have completely different tasks and roles, but they understand something profound—they couldn’t do their job without each other.

Living a Fairly ‘Normal’ Christian Life

When the eldest of their four daughters was 4 years old, they welcomed Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported Bridge of Hope children and missionaries into their lives through prayer and sponsorship. Jonathan and Erica wanted their children to grow up understanding the needs of others.

Ever since their four beautiful daughters were young, Jonathan and Erica have led their family in pursuit of serving the Lord together.

“They were familiar with the idea,” Jonathan says, “that there are people outside of [their] own little world who have a totally different set of challenges, and people who don’t know about Christ.”

This worldview found its way into their family’s everyday life and holidays, shaping rich family traditions. When the Christmas season came around each year, their daughters would pour over the pages of GFA’s Christmas Gift Catalog, flipping through the pages filled with pictures of chickens, goats, Bibles and blankets. Their house stirred with excitement as each bright-eyed girl got to choose an item to bless a person or family in Asia.

A Change in the Norm

As the Lord continued to press missions on Jonathan’s heart, a revelation struck him: Why not serve in the place where they had already been investing for the past nine years?

After raising monthly support for their livelihood, Jonathan and his family packed up their home and moved to Texas to join GFA’s staff as behind-the-scenes missionaries. They were ready to serve the Lord together once again and in an even greater capacity.

A Beautiful Link Between Two Worlds

With passion and excitement, Jonathan started serving in the IT department at the Gospel for Asia (GFA) office in Wills Point, Texas. Through his work, he was able to equip his fellow behind-the-scenes missionaries with the computer systems they needed to accomplish their jobs in helping missionaries in Asia, like Pastor Marty.

As Jonathan helped equip the Texas office with the systems needed to communicate with donors and sponsors, Pastor Marty and many other Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported workers talked with broken families about the love of Jesus. With Jonathan and the other behind-the-scenes missionaries doing their part in their work, Pastor Marty and fellow ministry workers could more effectively do their part.

Much the Same, yet So Different

Although Jonathan worked with people and computers as he had in his secular job, the differences of working in a ministry impacted his walk with the Lord. Whereas before he never thought to pray for a broken computer server or start a meeting in prayer, he now found himself doing these very things.

Once, when Jonathan had broken the entire office’s email system, it disabled the behind-the-scenes missionaries for several hours. To his amazement, Jonathan didn’t receive the same kind of treatment he would have experienced in the business world, with his bosses telling him how much money and time he was wasting. Instead, people stopped by his office to encourage and reassure him that they were praying for him. When Jonathan finally got the system working again, a slew of emails filled his inbox. They were from folks around the office thanking him for all his hard work on getting the problem fixed.

It was this kind of grace that Jonathan had never experienced before, and it occurred to him that the Gospel for Asia (GFA) office had a completely different atmosphere. Instead of pressures to do everything correctly the first time, there was love and grace shown by his coworkers. Instead of stress, there was peace as problems were brought to the Lord in prayer.

“I realized I am in a different world here,” Jonathan says.

“Everything matters so much more, but mistakes are handled with so much more grace. And both are tied to the heart and the attitude behind it.”

Serving Together in Joy and Hardship

But serving the Lord is not always simple or pleasant, and ministry is no easy journey. Just as Jesus warned His disciples about the trials and troubles that would come their way if they followed Him, Jonathan and his family have experienced this reality as they have labored with Gospel for Asia (GFA). National workers like Marty have experienced trials and troubles, too. Although persecution may look different in Asia, brothers and sisters around the world face opposition together, knowing that serving the Lord does not come without a heavy price at times.

“It had never occurred to me,” Jonathan reflects,

“That when you give your life at a ministry, you are not just doing the glorious and admirable thing of becoming a missionary, and everyone is going to applaud you. You are joining yourself to a ministry that will, at some point, be the target of criticism, and when it is, you also will be the target of criticism. … That was both the hardest thing for me to swallow and the source of most growth for me. … I had to learn, it’s more about obeying God and trusting Him to bring fruit out of it than it is the applause of people.”

The Eternal Purpose

With an understanding of their calling and a commitment to the Lord, Jonathan, Erica and their family stand together as one with Pastor Marty and other missionaries around the world, serving others for the sake of Christ.

“It’s more of a lifestyle and less of a job,” Jonathan says.

Even when they feel tired, weak and unworthy or when criticism comes their way, Jonathan and Erica remain faithful to where God has led them.

“We are here because we are about the business of allowing people who have never heard the hope of Christ to hear of Christ,” Jonathan states.

“We are also here specifically because this is the place that God connected us to 13 years ago and kept us connected to and specifically led us to. So, it’s both the eternal purpose and the specific circumstances working together. But it’s not a matter of preference, or we wouldn’t last.”

When you link your life with behind-the-scenes missionaries, you get the opportunity to stay more connected with the Lord’s work in Asia. Someday in heaven, we all will worship the Lamb of God together, and we will see fully how Christ has connected our lives with our brothers and sisters around the world!

Be a part of changing the world today by aiding the needs of our brothers and sisters here in the United States.

Source: Gospel for Asia Features, ‘More of a Lifestyle, Less of a Job’

Learn more about the Mission Support Team – the behind-the-scenes missionaries who serve in Gospel for Asia’s administrative offices. Although they serve in offices far from the physical mission field of Asia, their role is vital to the ministry.

Click here, to read more blogs on Patheos from Gospel for Asia.

Mission Support Team

About Gospel for Asia

Bridge of Hope

GFA Christmas Gift Catalog

GFA Community

GFA Staff

GFA-Supported Bridge of Hope

GFA-Supported Missionaries

GFA-Supported Workers

Gospel for Asia

Gospel for Asia's Bridge of Hope Program

Previous Post

June 12, 2019

From Death to Life at the Hands of a Good Samaritan

Next Post

June 16, 2019 Hope for Every Hurt, Even Through Disease, Leprosy and Rejection

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category About Gospel for Asia Bishop Daniel Children's Education Clean Water Daniel Yohannan Disaster Relief GFA World Guest Writer Humanitarian Services Inspiration Leprosy Medical Ministry Mission Support Team Modern Slavery National Missions Poverty Alleviation Powerful Prayer School of Discipleship Special Report Spiritual Growth Uncategorized Women's Issues

Select a Month April 2026 March 2026 December 2025 September 2025 June 2025 May 2025 March 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who told God, "I am slow of speech and of tongue"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Aaron Isaiah Samuel Moses