The work of missionaries is inspiring to say the least, and for those who may be considering this path for themselves, it can be helpful to hear some of the quotes of wisdom passed down by those before them.

These quotes belong to those who dedicated their lives to serving the kingdom of God, not for their own glory, but for the glory of God.

These frontline workers have learned a lot, and by taking the time to read some of their words, we can perhaps gain some wisdom, encouragement, and inspiration from their experience.

 

33 Quotes from Prominent Missionaries Across History

Throughout the course of history, several missionaries stand out, and their words can inspire and encourage us as we build on the foundation that they laid down around the world.

 

William Carey: Pioneer to India

Often referred to as the father of modern missions, William Carey was the founder of the Baptist Missionary Society and one of the first missionaries of his kind.

At the beginning of his career he pastored a church in Moulton, Northamptonshire, England, while also working as a teacher and a cobbler.

However, over time, he became convinced that this was not enough, that the Bible required more of believers than to teach the good news where they are.

He believed that the Great Commission was a command to be fulfilled by every generation of Christians.

He tried to communicate as much to other leaders but they rebuked him and ignored what he had to say. As a result he founded the Baptist Missionary Society (BMS) and became one of its first missionaries to India.

John Thomas and his wife and child, along with Carey’s wife, child, and sister in law, set off for India and arrived in 1793.

He faced a lot of hardship initially with the death of his son, Thomas squandering their money, his sister in law deserting them, and his wife developing a mental illness.

Yet he persisted, and eventually relocated to Serampore, a Dutch colony where he would live until he died in 1834.

In Serampore he connected with two other missionaries, Joshua Marshman and William Ward. The three became known as the Serampore Trio, each contributing their various skills to help in India’s evangelization. Marshman as a preacher, Ward as a printer, and Carey as a translator.

Ultimately, it was the translation work that Carey would end up making a real impact. He translated the Bible into Bengali and several other languages and dialects that were prominent in India, and his Bengali Bible became vital to later translations in the language.

The ministry of the Serampore Trio became very fruitful in India, leading to 1,407 baptized converts by 1821.

It also became the inspiration for the next generation of missionaries to come after him including Adoniram Judson, Lottie Moon, and Bill Wallace and continues to be an inspiration to aspiring missionaries today.

Quotes from William Carey:

“To belong to Jesus is to embrace the nations with Him.”

“Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God.”

“To know the will of God, we need an open Bible and an open map.”

“I’m not afraid of failure; I’m afraid of succeeding at things that don’t matter.”

 

David Brainerd: Pioneer to the Americas

Born in Haddam, Connecticut in 1718, David Brainerd would become one of the first missionaries to Native Americans. His story began, however, while pursuing ministry at Yale.

Desiring to become a minister, Brainerd went to Yale to get his degree. However, while he excelled academically he was expelled during his junior year for talking poorly of his tutor.

He made multiple attempts to get back into the school but was refused every time.

The law required a degree from Harvard, Yale, or another European University to be a minister so when he couldn’t get back into school he began to look for other ways to pursue God’s calling in his life.

In 1742, Brainerd was finally licensed to preach by Jonathan Dickinson who first proposed the opportunity of becoming a missionary to him.

After seeking God’s direction in prayer, God birthed in him a desire to become a missionary to the Native Americans.

Brainerd began his missionary ministry in 1742 working among several Indian tribes, preaching and teaching the people about the gospel.

However, he experienced little success in these initial ventures.

Finally, in 1745, Brainerd experienced his first notable victory among natives in Crossweeksung, New Jersey. There, many people were filled with sorrow for their sin and chose to become followers of Jesus.

One-hundred and thirty natives were saved in this first year, and 77 were baptized.

Brainerd’s ministry continued to be fruitful there, however, his health was deteriorating after years of battling tuberculosis and depression.

He eventually had to leave his ministry behind and stayed with Jonathan Edwards where he was cared for until the day he died in 1747.

While his ministry was not a long one, only four years, he made a huge impact on the lives of many native Americans and inspired the creation of Princeton and Dartmouth College.

He continues to inspire others today as well, his life being a testimony to what God can accomplish through a willing heart, even if the body is weak.

Quotes from David Brainerd:

“Lord, let me make a difference for you that is utterly disproportionate to who I am. “

“I love to live on the brink of eternity.”

 

Adoniram Judson: Pioneer of Overseas Missions in America

The first overseas missionary from America, Adoniram Judson received his call to missions while attending Andover Seminary in Massachusetts.

This led to the creation of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions by Judson and several other classmates.

In 1812, Judson married his wife Ann (also known as Nancy) and they left together for Calcutta, India along with Samuel and Harriett Newel. These two families would become the first overseas, American missionaries.

Judson was aware that they would be meeting William Carey in India when they arrived and during their voyage determined to study what the Bible had to say about baptism.

This was an issue that divided Judson, a Congregationalist, from Carey, a Baptist. However, in the process, he found Carey’s view to be more biblical, and he and his wife became Baptists.

As a result, they decided they could no longer be sent by the American Board of Commissioners who expected them to follow their practices of baptism. This resulted in the withdrawal of financial support.

Thus, it was agreed that Luther Rice, another missionary with them who became a Baptist, would go back and try and raise support from the Baptists in America.

When they arrived in Calcutta they were baptized by some of Carey’s associates before they began their ministry in Burma.

They worked to learn the language and culture and Judson would eventually translate the entire Bible into Burmese.

During their time there the family would experience many trials including the death of three children and sickness that would cause Ann to return to America for a time.

They also wrestled with political unrest between the Burmese government and England, landing Judson in prison for nineteen months.

During this time Ann, who was back in the country, cared for him as best she could until he was released as a translator to help with peace negotiations.

Unfortunately, Judson’s trouble continued with the death of his wife and daughter, causing him to retreat into seclusion in the jungle.

However, after forty days he emerged and was filled with renewed energy for the mission, experiencing a season of fruitfulness until he died in 1850. Adoniram Judson was an amazing missionary and we can learn a lot from his life.

He persevered through trial after trial and showed humility when he found himself in conflict with other ideologies.

He took the initiative to do what had not yet been done, and Burma (now Myanmar) thanks him for it.

Quotes from Adoniram Judson:

“There is no success without sacrifice. If you succeed without sacrifice it is because someone has suffered before you. If you sacrifice without success it is because someone will succeed after.”

“The motto for every missionary, whether preacher, printer, or schoolmaster, ought to be ‘Devoted for Life.'”

“If I had not felt certain that every additional trail was ordered by infinite love and mercy, I could not have survived my accumulated suffering.”

 

David Livingstone: Making a Way to Africa

The story of David Livingstone is quite different from most others. His passion for missions began when he heard about opportunities for medical missions in China.

Yet, even as he began his training that dream was crushed by the Opium War.

This, however, led to his meeting Robert Moffat, a missionary to Africa, six months later who convinced him to instead pursue missions work in South Africa.

Livingstone agreed and for ten years did traditional mission work in this area where he would eventually marry Robert Moffat’s daughter, Mary Moffat.

As time went by, Livingstone became increasingly restless. His work had not appeared to be particularly fruitful and felt a new call to explore.

This led to his expedition of the “Missionary Road” or “God’s Highway.” This road would travel 1,500 miles into the interior of Africa with the hope of opening up a way to reach more people groups.

This process began Livingstone’s new role exploring uncharted territory in Africa. He explored the territory around the Zambezi River and Victoria Falls, exposing him to the devastation of the slave trade which he would fight against from that time on.

He also spent considerable time searching for the source of the Nile River, hoping to prove African roots of Judaism and Christianity and thus proving the Bible to be true.

Then, for two years, he simply dropped off the map. No one knew where he was until an American Journalist sought him out and found him, and wrote tons of articles on the meeting.

Livingstone’s ministry was not the traditional one of a missionary, however, his work laid the foundation for future evangelization on the African continent.

He explored a dozen countries and mapped out their territory allowing for better missionary work down the line. A great reminder that not all missions work looks the same.

Quotes from David Livingstone:

“If a commission by an earthly king is considered an honor, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice?”

“God, send me anywhere, only go with me. Lay any burden on me, only sustain me. And sever any tie in my heart except the tie that binds my heart to Yours.”

“I’d rather be in the heart of Africa in the will of God, than on the throne of England, out of the will of God.”

“If you have men who will only come if they know there is a good road, I don’t want them. I want men who will come if there is no road at all.”

“If a commission by an earthly king is considered an honor, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice?”

 

Hudson Taylor: Pioneer to China

Hudson Taylor was a radical missionary to China in the 1850s. From the moment he was born his parents prayed that he would be called to missions work in China, and at the age of 21, that prayer was answered.

In 1953, Taylor arrived in Shanghai to begin his ministry.

Taylor understood what many of the missionaries of his time did not, the importance of culture and worldview. Instead of asking the people to adapt to his culture, he adapted to theirs and was soon wearing Chinese clothes and grew a pigtail, as was the tradition of other Chinese men.

As Taylor began his ministry he was quickly dissatisfied with the way other missionaries were handling things on the coast that he decided to push towards the Chinese interior where he spread the gospel and met his wife until he became sick in 1861.

Back in England to deal with his illness, Taylor didn’t give up on his mission. He continued translating the Bible into Chinese, and began to create what would become the China Inland Mission (CIM).

The CIM was different than most of the other missions organizations. Namely, all the missionaries were required to adapt to Chinese culture and dress, and they were also required to just trust God for the funding they needed.

Taylor’s work in China was characterized by radical faith. He knew and understood the risks but clung to the belief that it was all worth it, even if it cost life itself.

He prayed over and over for more missionaries and over and over God provided beyond what he had asked for.

Some of his radical decisions brought him into conflict with leadership however because of his faith and commitment to the mission, he never backed down.

He also experienced a lot of family loss including his wife and four of his eight children before they were even ten years old. However, God remained faithful, and Taylor continued stepping out in radical faith until his death in 1905.

Quotes from Hudson Taylor:

“All God’s giants have been weak men who did great things for God because they reckoned on God being with them.”

“Do not have your concert first, and then tune your instrument afterwards. Begin the day with the Word of God and prayer, and get first of all into harmony with Him.”

“God isn’t looking for people of great faith, but individuals ready to follow Him.”

“All God’s giants have been weak men who did great things for God because they reasoned on God being with them.”

“God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply.”

“It does not matter how great the pressure is. What really matters is where the pressure lies—whether it comes between you and God, or whether it presses you nearer to His heart.”

 

Jim Elliot: Martyr in South America

Jim Elliot is one of the most prominent martyrs for the Christian faith in recent years and is well known for his sacrifice and ministry in Ecuador.

There he gave his life serving the Lord among the Auca tribe, preparing the way for the missionaries that would follow him, including his wife.

From a young age, Elliot expressed a strong desire to be a missionary. Inspired by missionaries like David Brainerd, William Carey, and Amy Carmichael, Jim applied to Wheaton College where he would prepare for a future in overseas missions, and meet his future wife, Elisabeth Howard.

In 1950, Elliot went to Camp Wycliffe for the summer where he would learn important language skills, however, perhaps more importantly, he worked with a former missionary that had worked among the Quechua people in Ecuador.

This same missionary also told Elliot about the Auca tribe, a dangerous group of natives known for their violence and sporadic murder.

Despite the risk, Elliot knew that God was calling him to work among this tribe and began preparing to move to Ecuador. After multiple delays, Elliot finally made it to Ecuador where he would work among the Quicha people until the Auca could be located.

When the time came, Elliot and his team, including Pete Fleming, Ed McCully, Nate Saint, and Roger Youderian, boarded a plane and set off for their first, in-person encounter with the Auca.

Their first meeting appeared to go well when shortly after they landed, a man and two girls emerged from the jungle.

Nate Saint gave the man a ride in the plane over his village, and everything seemed to go smoothly. However, the man that they met that day went back to his village and lied about the missionaries and made false claims about them.

When they returned two days later on January 8, 1956, the Auca ambushed them and murdered the five missionaries.

Elliot’s testimony is a powerful testimony to the sacrifice involved in the sometimes glamorized missionary life. It also goes to show that God’s plan prevails because two years later, Elliot’s wife Elisabeth and Nate Saint’s sister Rachel would return to the Aucas, and their forgiveness and love would bring about the conversion of many in the tribe.

Quotes from Jim Elliot:

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”

“Wherever you are, be all there! Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God.”

“When the time comes to die, make sure that all you have to do is die.”

“Forgive me for being so ordinary while claiming to know so extraordinary a God.”

“Father, make of me a crisis man. Bring those I contact to a decision. Let me not be a milepost on a single road; make me a fork, that men must turn one way or another on facing Christ in me.”

“If we are the sheep of His pasture, remember that sheep are headed for the altar.”

“We are a bunch of nobodies trying to exalt Somebody.”

 

Brother Andrew: Smuggler at the Iron Curtain

Unlike some of the other missionaries in this post, Brother Andrew did not grow up a Christian. His parents were believers but he had no interest in their faith, though he would carry his mother’s Bible with him for several years.

Born in the Netherlands in 1928, much of Andrew’s childhood was spent in the thick of World War II.

As a child he was constantly in hiding, evading the Nazis as best he could, and fighting back where it was possible.

When he turned eighteen he joined the Dutch Resistance Army to continue the fight against Nazi occupation in his home country, and the experience left him an alcoholic, wounded and tormented by all the memories of war.

God had a different plan for Andrew’s life however and while he was in the hospital recovering from a bullet injury he was astonished by the joy each of the nurses had in their hearts.

On asking, he was encouraged to look to his mother’s Bible to find that same joy in his own life. As Andrew began reading his Bible and going to church, he was filled with a hunger for the Lord and gave his life over to Christ.

Later, at a missionary meeting held by a visiting evangelist, he would sense God’s call to missions and dedicate his life to that as well. In order to prepare himself for the task ahead, he began praying about attending the World Evangelistic Crusade Glasgow Bible College in Scotland.

Feeling discouraged because of his lack of education and his lame leg he gave his weaknesses to the Lord and God healed his leg and gave him the courage to attend school. After finishing school and some additional missionary training, Andrew pursued God’s call to bring Christianity to communist Poland.

This led to years of missionary work distributing Bibles behind the Iron Curtain.

This also led to the creation of a new ministry, Open Doors, that would continue to smuggle Bibles into various countries across the Soviet Union, Asia, and the Middle East.

Throughout his many journeys, God was faithful and kept Brother Andrew, and the Bibles, safe and hidden over and over again, allowing the good news to spread all over the world in a time where communism had become so devastating. Brother Andrew’s inspiring story is a great reminder of God’s faithfulness and continues to inspire and affect many today.

Quotes from Brother Andrew:

“The bigger the darkness, the easier it is to spot your little light.”

“Don’t curse the darkness but light a candle.”

“Persecution its an enemy the Church has met and master many times. Indifference could prove to be a far more dangerous foe.”

“Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop, within a yard of hell.”

“God’s real people have always been called fanatics.”

“The ‘romance’ of a missionary is often made up of monotony and drudgery; there often is no glamour in it; it doesn’t stir a man’s spirit or blood. So don’t come out to be a missionary as an experiment; it is useless and dangerous. Only come if you feel you would rather die than not come. Don’t come if you want to make a great name or want to live long. Come if you feel there is no greater honor, after living for Christ, than to die for Him.”

“There are no closed doors to the Gospel, provided that, once you go through the door, you don’t care whether or not you come back out.”

 

8 Quotes from Missionary Women

Missionary women have become more prominent in recent years, however, there were some very important figures in history that broke the stereotypes for women of their time and set off to reach the unreached peoples around the world.

 

Elisabeth Elliot: Friend of the Auca

Elizabeth Elliot, wife of martyr Jim Elliot, played a big part in the evangelization of the Auca tribe which killed her husband. But before that could happen, we need to go back to Wheaton College where they met.

Elliot was born in Brussels, Belgium, 1926 but her family later moved to America where she would eventually attend Wheaton College.

Elisabeth’s brother was roommates with Jim Elliot, and the two eventually became friends.

They later decided that they wanted to take the relationship further, however God had called Jim to five years of singleness to pursue his will. However, after those five years were up, they got married in 1953. Two years later, their daughter Valerie was born.

The couple eventually moved to the Shandia mission base and worked together among the Quichua people while continue to search for the Auca. They were later located with the help of others on their team and on January 6, 1956, the five missionary men would have their first encounter.

What Elliot didn’t know, was that two days later, on their second trip to meet with the Auca, all five men would be murdered in an Auca ambush. Elliot and the other families mourned for the losses of their husbands and brothers and fathers.

Despite the terrible events, however, these women remained thankful for the obedience of those five men. Elliot continued working among the Quechua for two more years, befriending two Auca women who lived with them.

Then, in 1958, Elliot, her daughter Valerie, and Nate Saint’s sister Rachel left the Quechua with one of the Auca women, Dayuma, to go preach the gospel and live among the tribe that killed their loved ones.

This time, they were able to build relationships with those in the community and many of the people became Christians, including Mincaye, the man who killed Nate Saint. Elisabeth Elliot died in 2015, however, the story of her and her husband lives on.

Her story inspires us with her commitment to see every lost soul come to Christ, even those of the men who killed her husband.

Quotes from Elisabeth Elliot:

“Faith does not eliminate questions. But faith knows where to take them.”

“One does not surrender a life in an instant. That which is lifelong can only be surrendered in a lifetime.”

 

Mary Slessor: Everybody’s Mother

Mary Slessor may be one of the most important missionaries ever to set foot in Africa. Her ministry became the stepping stone for a multitude of other missionaries who came after her and her incredible faith and perseverance inspire many more.

As a child, Slessor was exposed to missionaries and their work early on, and she became determined to bring the gospel to others, especially in Nigeria.

Inspired by David Livingstone, she began to take steps towards this goal by joining the United Presbyterian Church and the Foreign Missions Board, and eventually sailed for Calabar, Nigeria in 1876. On arriving there, Slessor had her first encounter with an evil that she would fight against for the rest of her life.

Many of the tribes she would bring the gospel to throughout her ministry had little regard for human life and would often kill for human sacrifices, superstitions (such as twins), and even as cannibals for food.

In every tribe, Slessor would work against these practices, as well as advocating for women’s rights wherever she went. While working with the Okoyong she even instituted an economic system that helped to decrease these issues.

That being said, the gospel was still, first and foremost, her primary mission.

Throughout the course of her ministry Slessor would continue to push further and further inland, working among various tribes to spread the gospel. In each culture she would adapt, wearing their clothes and eating their food, and the people grew to love her.

Then in 1892, Slessor was chosen to be vice-consul in the territory, allowing her to continue to serve the communities. However, she served through the love of Christ, not force like the British consuls before her.

Over time, Slessor also adopted several children who would follow her from place to place as she spread the gospel. Continuing to serve in every possible way that she could she was always reaching out to the children in the community, remembering her own difficult childhood, and doing her best to provide in any way she could.

Slessor’s ministry was fruitful in so many ways, and continues to be fruitful as more and more people build upon the ministry she began. It was not without hardship, she returned home several times with malaria, a disease that eventually took her life in 1915. However, she continued to persevere and point people to the gospel until the very end.

Quotes from Mary Slessor:

“When you think of the woman’s power, you forget the power of the woman’s God. I shall go on.

“Christ sent me to preach the gospel and he will look after the results.”

 

Amy Carmichael: Mother to India

Amy Carmichael’s story has been inspiring people for generations, from her local ministry to her missionary work in India. Throughout childhood her family struggled with money and as she got older she developed a disease called neuralgia that would leave her bedridden for months at a time.

However, these things didn’t keep her from fulfilling God’s calling for her life. Before accepting the call to missions Carmichael was hard at work in her own hometown. She started Bible studies for young girls living in the slums which led to the creation of Welcome Evangelical Church in Belfast, Ireland.

After moving to Manchester, England she chose to live in the slums there and continue to minister. She continued this ministry until her disease made it impossible and she was forced to move to a family friend’s estate until she was well.

During this time she heard from Hudson Taylor and God renewed the fire for missions in her heart that had been stirring for several years so she knew she had to go.

As she began the search for a missions agency she found that her illness was keeping her from being sent. However, after much searching the Church Missionary Society finally accepted her and in 1893 she departed for Japan.

There she had a brief but fruitful ministry. She learned the importance of adapting to their culture and developed a strong faith as she prayed for souls to come to Christ. She continued in this ministry until her disease forced her to return home. This however, would lead to her ministry in India, for which she is most known.

One of the evils that was pervasive in this culture was the slavery of children in the temple, many of whom were chosen to “marry” their gods and be forced into temple prostitution.

Appalled by this practice, Carmichael opened her home to anyone who was escaping this fate.

To support these children she started the Dohnavur Fellowship, and in 1918 also added a home for young boys born to former temple prostitutes. Her ministry was making a huge impact on the community and would continue to do so for years to come until temple prostitution was outlawed in 1948.

However, Carmichael’s involvement in this ministry would change dramatically. After an accident in 1931 that resulted in a broken leg and ankle, Carmichael would become bedridden for the last twenty years of her life.

This never stopped her though. She continued to run the ministry as best she could from her room and also wrote several books and a lot of poetry.

Carmichael’s story is inspiring to say the least and is a great reminder that when we give our lives to God’s will, he will do mighty things, even when physical problems make it seem impossible.

Quotes from Amy Carmichael:

“A cup brimful of sweetness cannot spill even one drop of bitter water, no matter how suddenly jarred.”

“All along, let us remember we are not asked to understand, but simply to obey.”

“God hold us to that which drew us first, when the cross was the attraction and we wanted nothing else.”

“We have all eternity to tell of the victories won for Christ, but we have only a few hours before sunset to win them.”

“It is a safe thing to trust Him to fulfill the desire that He creates.”

 

5 Missions Quotes from Pastors

In the world of missions, some are called to be senders, and others the goers. The role of a pastor is to disciple his sheep and also to send out missionaries from their church to reach those who don’t yet have a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

 

Oswald J. Smith

Oswald J. Smith was a Canadian pastor in Toronto where he advocated strongly for missions and created several colleges to help educate people for ministry. He also founded the Peoples Church in Toronto which was established in 1928.

Author of nearly twenty books, Smith is dedicated to preparing others for ministry and is committed to the churches purpose of sending out missionaries into the world.

Quotes from Oswald J. Smith:

“If God wills the evangelization of the world and you refuse to support missions, then you are opposed to the will of God.”

“Any church not involved in the Great Commission has forfeited its Biblical right to exist.”

 

John Piper

John Piper is a theologian and pastor with a ministry in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has become a well respected teacher across the country and is a strong advocate for missions.

He has also authored nearly fifty books that are helping many to understand the Word of God better and has allowed him to serve even more people around the world.

“Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t.”

“Go, send, or disobey.”

“To belong to Jesus is to embrace the nations with Him.”

 

25 Inspiring Quotes from Pastors and Missionaries Around the World

The pastors and missionaries above have contributed so much to the Great Commission through the grace of Christ. However, the body of Christ is made up of many people who are all working towards this same goal for the glory of God.

Here we have twenty-six individuals who are also dedicated to seeing the fulfillment of the Great Commission.

“Whatever we do, we must not treat the Great Commission like it’s the Great Suggestion.” —Charles R. Swindoll

“If you take missions out of the Bible, you won’t have anything left but the covers.” —Nina Gunter

“‘Not called!’ Did you say? ‘Not heard the call,’ I think you should say. Put your ear down to the Bible and hear Him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin.” —William Booth

“I have but one candle of life to burn, and I would rather burn it out in a land filled with darkness than in a land flooded with light.” —John Keith Falconer

“I believe that in each generation God has called enough men and women to evangelize all the yet unreached tribes of the earth. It is not God who does not call, it is man who will not respond.” —Isabel Kuhn

“The Gospel is only good news if it gets there in time.” —Carl F.H. Henry

“The command has been to ‘go,’ but we have stayed – in body, gifts, prayer, and influence. He has asked us to be witnesses unto the uttermost parts of the earth…but 99% of Christians have kept puttering around in the homeland.” —Robert Savage

“Missions is not for the hyperactive Christians in the church. Missions is the purpose of the church.” —Robby Gallaty

“Missions is the natural response to believing the gospel.” —Cale Etter

“Life is pitiful, death so familiar, suffering and pain so common, yet I would not be anywhere else. Do not wish me out of this or in any way seek to get me out, for I will not be got out while this trial is on. These are my people, God has given them to me, and I will live or die with Him and for His glory.” —Gladys Aylward

“If we are going to wait until every possible hindrance has been removed before we do a work for the Lord, we will never attempt to do anything.” —T.J. Bach

“To stay here and disobey God – I can’t afford to take the consequence. I would rather go and obey God than to stay here and know that I disobeyed.” —Amanda Berry Smith

“Jonah stalked to his shaded seat and waited for God to come around to his way of thinking. And God is still waiting for a host of Jonahs in their comfortable houses to come around to his way of loving.” —Thomas Carlisle

“The mission in Acts is about going and gathering, not just going and telling.” —Andy Chambers

“Jesus promised his disciples three things: they would be completely fearless, absurdly happy, and in constant trouble.” —G.K. Chesterton

“Missionary zeal does not grow out of intellectual beliefs, nor out of theological arguments, but out of love.” —Roland Allen

“Missions is practicing God’s presence until His passion compels us to obey.” —Ann Dugan

“A congregation that is not deeply and earnestly involved in the worldwide proclamation of the gospel does not understand the nature of salvation.” —Ted Engstrom

“I thought it reasonable that I should seek the work where the work was the most abundant and the workers fewest.” —James Gilmour

“This generation of Christians is responsible for this generation of souls on the earth!” —Keith Green

“If God calls you to be a missionary, don’t stoop to be a king.” —Jordan Grooms

“The biggest hindrance to the missionary task is self. Self that refuses to die. Self that refuses to sacrifice. Self that refuses to give. Self that refuses to go.” —Thomas Hale

“Since God is a missionary God, God’s people are a missionary people.” —Eddy Ho

“People are still waiting at the other end of our obedience.” —David Joannes

 

Each one of these missionaries were inspired to share the Gospel to the ends of the earth. They could not deny the call God had placed on their life. They were willing to give up their lives for the sake of Christ and proclaiming His name throughout the nations.