Yes, you are sent. Why do you ask?
Scholars, missiologists, ecclesiologists, and other “ologists” continue to argue about the connection between the church and mission. Does the church have a mission, or does the mission have a church?
In reality, God has both a mission and a church, and in Christ we are part of both.
Joe (JR) at “More than Cake” has written an excellent post about our part in God’s mission called “I have already sent you! – A Missional Moment with Jesus.”
The main part of Joe’s post is a commentary on Jesus’ statements in John 4:25-27 and John 4:35-38. (Please jump over to Joe’s post and read his discussion of this passage.)
However, I want to focus on the last part of his post. In the last few sentences, Joe points out that Jesus has sent US (that is, all of us who are in Christ) into a “mission field”:
- Jesus has sent us into our workplaces where people go to earn a living, but do we share with them how God’s riches are far better.
- Jesus has moved us into neighborhoods where people seek shelter, but have we helped them know that God is the only house of refuge.
- Jesus has placed is in earthly families where people long for acceptance, but have we shown them by example that God’s family is the only way to find true love.
- Jesus has sent us into our local Safeway where they sell, “ingredients for life”, but have we held back from sharing our secret ingredient for Life Eternal?
- Jesus has sent us into the world where we demonstrate compassion by giving food, money and medicine, but have we forgotten about the spiritual need for nourishment and healing in Jesus?
Jesus has already sent you to sow and reap a harvest, did you miss it?
Yes! Exactly! We are all sent by God to proclaim his grace through Jesus Christ and to serve others in his name. Are you “living sent”?
Alan,
One of the reasons I cannot abide the “them and us” distinctions between mission and local congregation, missionary and congregation member.
The “mission field” is the world, and every Christian is a missionary given a missionary task where they live, work, and play!!
Thanks for sharing some of my post with your readers brother!
Just led by the Holy Ghost to bloom wherever I am planted
Howard
ekklesia/church acknowledges and graces mission.
We’re passing through a time/season of discarding old structures & methodology in favor of the God-breathed approach (not everyone coming along with this), which includes mission. Leaving behind big building projects is tethered to leaving behind failed mission paradigms & programs. Difficult, as first we must acknowledge failure. Africa would be a choice location to observe the catastrophic failures in decades of modern “Christian” missions, but, we can’t all just make an extended trip to another continent this year. If we’re to be objective, most of local mission is also fraught with man-made failure…
So, we’re first disengaging from “wagon train evangelism” [aka, Evangelical or bust], parachurch & program missions [aka, “homeless mission”, mission agencies, boards, conventions…], evangelism as method [aka, Evangelism Explosion, “Sunday conversions”,…], agenda evangelism [honestly, the making of “saved slaves” for our fave causes or membership roll], etc., etc.
The time has finally come to be led by God in all things. Looking forward to what the Spirit of Christ will enable & establish, from Peter to Philip to …!
Aussie John,
You said, “The “mission field” is the world, and every Christian is a missionary given a missionary task where they live, work, and play!!” Very well said!
Joe (JR),
Thanks for the great post!
Howard,
Too many are planted and are happy to not bloom…
Marshall,
Yes, I see many problems with the way “missions,” “evangelism,” etc. are programmed today as well.
Everyone,
I’d love to hear stories and examples of how God has “sent” you…
-Alan
Marshall, thanks this is correct
The time has finally come to be led by God in all things. Looking forward to what the Spirit of Christ will enable & establish, from Peter to Philip to …!
Howard
Alan said
Howard,
Too many are planted and are happy to not bloom…
Tell me Alan, if one does not bloom how can one believe, for God will show them truth. So if they are not blooming, then just maybe they are worshipping with their mouths and the heart is far from God. For this is nothing new under the sun (SON) If one is planted and not bloomed then they are not planted in the fertile soil, and only care for this world’s survival, or this world has choked them out, back to the parable of the sower and the seed and where it landed.
Howard
If one is planted in fertile soil they will bloom. If one has not bloomed, and wants to know God then that one will ask and God will plant them in fertile soil and they will bloom
Howard
Howard,
Perhaps that person is firmly planted but simply needs someone to show them how to follow God in this. Many have been taught one way, and that way seems to be right and good. Often, the best way we can help others understand what it means to live as sent by God is to live that way ourselves.
-Alan
Bravo alan, thanks, and I am considering this in prayer with God, and seeking what to do, and have done what was needed to do in my situation. That person has been shown, and that person is persistant in interupting, my marriage over women are to submit. And I say what then about free will to all from God. do we discount God’s free will over man’s traditon and not seeing that in the Spirit there is no jew, no greek, no male, no female we that are in him are one. We are in a new covenant, one of Faith as Abraham was accounted for. So why do we suppress women as the weaker vessel, when God made her for a help-mate to man. Why does man have to shove his machoism around as if he is better than the woman
Howard