Who You Are, Wherever You Are

Have you ever noticed we serve a God who often calls us to leave our comfort zones and serve in the stretching posture of faith?

Abraham was summoned out of Ur; Jonah was sent to Nineveh. Yet many of our biblical models were asked to speak to their own people in their own locations. The call of God can come with direction to “go” but sometimes it comes with direction to “stay” right where we are. We might even want to move, but God may say “stay put” and “bloom where you’re planted.” The Lord used Joseph in both a prison and a palace; He rescued Ruth in the fields and at the threshing floor; He asked Moses to lead in a desert in which he had wandered in previous years.

In this issue of Kindred Spirit we’ll consider God’s desire for us to take His Word to the world, whether He calls us to go or stay. In “Why Does God Bless Us?” Dr. Steve Strauss, who chairs the DTS World Missions department, walks readers through Psalm 67, which reveals that “God blesses His people so that the peoples might bless Him.” In “The Office: Taking the Word to Work,” Dr. Glenn Kreider, a professor in our Theological Studies department, turns the spotlight on some former students who are reaching businesswomen with the gospel. In “A Different Flight Path,” a DTS grad and Canadian veteran of World War II tells how God’s painful redirection led to a job that allowed him to minister to other military personnel. There are few better ways to reach businesswomen than by women in business. Military personnel understand their world and fellow soldiers.

The heart of missions is not necessarily where we live, but who we are and what we are doing wherever God calls us to go—or stay. Sometimes we get the idea that “finding the will of God” for our lives means finding where He wants us to live and work. But the New Testament focuses more on doing God’s will in whatever we are doing, no matter where we are. For example, “This is the will of God—your sanctification” (1 Thess. 4:3).

Are you a college student? An engineer? A barista? A sergeant? An athlete? A cancer patient? A subway rider? A file clerk? A surgeon? You can make disciples wherever you are—even if you are confined to a bed or wheelchair—through the medium of the Internet and/or with a cell phone.

So don’t get too comfortable. Can you sense God's calling? As you read and pray with us, consider how you too can take His Word into your world.

About the Contributors

Mark L. Bailey

Dr. Bailey assumed the role of DTS Chancellor after serving for 19 years as the Seminary’s fifth President, and continues his role as Sr. Professor in the Bible Exposition department. In addition to his years at Dallas Theological Seminary, he has pastored various churches in Arizona and Texas. He was a seminar instructor for Walk Thru the Bible Ministries for twenty years and is in demand for Bible conferences and other preaching engagements all over the country and world. His overseas ministries have included Venezuela, Argentina, Hungary, and China. He is also a regular tour leader in Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Greece, and Rome. His board service includes Bible Study Fellowship, Walk Thru the Bible Ministries, and Word of Life.