Heart of the Staff
April, 2023
I recently went to a missions conference that challenged my perspective of missions, and in a broader way our church’s perspective of missions. When we think about missions, one of the first things that comes to mind is the great commission given to us by Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20. Here we see the command to make disciples of all nations. Discipleship (helping others become more like Jesus) and missions (crossing barriers in order to reach all nations with the gospel) go hand-in-hand within the great commission. This may seem like a daunting task with over 7,000 unreached people groups still out there, but the great commission is not impossible – it is inevitable. This is the truth I want to focus on in this writing.
We serve a missional God. This truth is clearly evident all throughout scripture; although, we sometimes limit mission work to only a New Testament thing. Although Jesus is our ultimate example of what a missionary is, we see the heart of our missional God starting all the way back in Genesis 12:3 where God tells Abram the purpose for why God is blessing him is so that he will be a blessing to all the nations.
That is the ultimate purpose the nation of Israel was meant to fulfill, but they largely failed to do so. They were meant to be a city on a hill in which all the surrounding nations were drawn to worship the one true God that Israel was faithfully shining forth, but unfortunately did not do so.
This is followed by numerous examples of individuals that God called out to missions. I think of Isaiah in his vision responding with “here am I, send me”, only to have God reveal that his message will have no effect on its hearers. One of my favorite examples is Jonah, who is called to go to a nation he and all of Israel hates, just so God can display his character of love to a people not worthy of it. These examples and many, many more in the Old Testament reveal the missional character of our God. Unfortunately, every single example is a failed example.
But our God is relentless. He did not stop his missional endeavor just because his chosen nation and individuals failed to live up to their calling. God came to earth himself, on mission to cross barriers in order to show the love of God, and forever rip the ultimate barrier of the veil that separates any and all humans from the presence of God. And then He continues to give the responsibility of carrying out this great commission to those who doubt (Matthew 28:17), and to those who struggle with unbelief and hardness of heart (Mark 16:14). This is the very heart of God: to make His glory known amongst every people group, and He will not be stopped! The accomplishment of this great mission is inevitable, because ultimately it is God who is accomplishing it. The beauty is that we get the privilege of being a part in accomplishing this mission.
So as a church family that meets at Wall Highway, what would it look like for 200 of us to devote our lives to accomplishing this task? Are we willing to join in on the great mission that God has given us, a mission that is inevitable? What does it look like for you to live on mission?