Unless we commit ourselves as Christ followers to the whole counsel of God’s Word, we will fail to calibrate our lives to his plan for our path today and to the context of God’s person and purposes on a larger scale. A limited biblical periphery will be prey for distraction and deception, and we will succumb to blind spots about the truth and our relationship to it.
Previously we concentrated on the necessity for every believer to be a vital part of a community of believers (local church). None of us can survive alone, and we are not designed to do so. It is in this assembly that we are equipped and challenged for participation in broader kingdom activity. That broader kingdom expands our focus to the marginalized around us. It is not possible to meet all the needs around us, but we can make a strategic and significant difference in those lives that God places before us as opportunities. The aperture continues to open as we look to the Global Church in the realm of missions and to those who suffer and endure persecution. In this post, let’s consider missions.
Most of our local churches have gradually submitted to a diminished focus on mission/missionary activity. Very few believers know a missionary by name, and even fewer have a personal relationship with anyone who ministers outside their country. Missions is the natural overflow of being a disciple. Our Commission from Christ to go into all the world is a command! More than a suggestion or an option, it is a sacred summons to participate with God in His redemptive and restorative purposes for the world. Consider some practical suggestions that will ignite your individual missional fire and launch our gospel message.
- Make Friends: Become a community that welcomes and honors missionaries. If you enlarge your heart to them, God will make sure that they find you. Seek to know them and their children by name. Listen to their stories. Empathize with their frustrations. Pray for them. Find practical ways to encourage them. Support them financially. And stay in touch with them while they are in their field of service.
- Prepare: Ask God to open your heart to certain parts of the world. Explore and research different countries and peoples. You will be surprised what God puts in your path. Obtain a Passport.
- Ask for Ideas: There are so many things that you can do to expand the kingdom of God without traveling internationally. The opportunities are boundless.
- Free-fall: Take a mission’s trip. Anticipate and acclimate to the adventure. Journal your experience so that you do not miss a thing. Watch your plans dissolve into God’s purposes. Stay open to being overwhelmed by God and by some unique people you will meet along the way.
- Grow: One more thing for now. Being missional will cause you to adjust your priorities and make you a more conscientious steward of your resources.
Sisters and brothers, you demonstrate a generous and obvious act of faith when you extend yourself lovingly to those who are deserving of your support. As you provide for their necessities, you discover that you are partnering with them. Sending them forth on their journey is a responsibility and a privilege. Let’s do this in a manner worthy of God.
III John 5-8
Next: Blind Spots and the Persecuted