Matthew 28:19-20: “Go ye therefore and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to deserve all things and lo I am with you even until the end of age.”
How many of you have faced a situation where you have put your best foot forward, only to go a few steps backwards soon after? You finally paid off all your credit card bills, about to be debt-free, but then the boiler breaks or you or your kids get sick and now you’re off creating more debt that you worked so hard to get out off. Debt applies to the spirit as well. What about those who finally got enough strength to let go of people, who were toxic and meant no good, only to be left with an overdrawn spirit? What about a job you slaved for over 20 years now decides to let you go because you have unexpectedly gotten sick? Maybe you have been faithful to a spouse and now they trade you in for a younger rendition, making you feel devalued of your worth.
The word mission is defined to mean to send or entrust with a mission, also known as a purpose. As Christians, we strive to carry on religious mission among the people of the world. A ministry is made for this purpose, we are commissioned by religious organization to propagate concepts of faith and carry on humanitarian acts in the name of God.
The word continue (Latin) means to maintain without interruption or condition, cause to action. In other words, we remain in existence of our purpose to ensure activity after interruption.
However, being and continuing on a mission presents itself with unique challenges. Being on a mission for God is truly preparing for war; a war to deal with the wages of life and the turbulences that blow day to day. You do not know what you will face, and often you will discover that many people appear one-way on the outside, while spiritually drowning on the inside.
So WHAT DO YOU DO? The way we approach life has shifted completely. We are living in such a time where you dare not even watch the news because it’s so depressing. Every time you turn on the tube, you hear about another person dying or another act of violence. Or have we become immune to seeing yellow tape? We have become so conditioned that the increase of sickness and death do not shake us or disturb us any longer. I hear many justify our lack of response by saying Well God makes no mistakes or we all must meet the death angel one day without despair ….. This is sheer madness. Our ancestors died so that we could have the liberty that we experience today and yet it seems like we are going backwards instead of forwards in terms of compassion and service.
The church is a hospital and it served to be the pillar of the home, the foundation, and root that keeps families together and safe from fear, harm, or danger. But what is the church doing in the face of ACTUAL crisis? What can WE as a Church do to help? How do we continue in the mission of God, and fulfill our own goal, in such a trying and difficult environment?
The answer might be in Jesus himself. Is Jesus no longer the center of your joy? The mission of the church has dwindled because somehow we have lost Jesus in CHURCH. With the cultural shifts and health crisis, attending physical services may not be the dominant focus of the Church today. During this time, and as we move forward, we must redefine the mission by changing the idea of what CHURCH actually is. The focus should shift to the pulse of people, and we must use the people, the community, and interpersonal spiritual connection as conduits for Christ’s light (even if now it is via Zoom). God is interested in our inner hearts, rather than programs, or even the building itself. A pure heart and sincerity in our praise is what God seeks.
For this reason, we need to go back to the order of the first church located in Acts 2:42; Christians need to reimagine a church that is more PEOPLE than PROGRAM driven. Church programs are important, however, the primary focus towards a “Disciple Making Generation” should be driven by the connection of God and the needs of the people, not the continuous monotony of having superficial and surface level program, events, and services. If people do not know about Jesus than the physical food will never sustain them. Conversely, if people are starving, they will never take the initiative to reach out and learn about Christ.
Today I intend to challenge your Heart to obey the commandments of God and to place Jesus, and ONLY Jesus in the forefront of your life. The truth is you will come across a time when developing a personal relationship with God and obtaining relationships with others will become essential and not just a familiar pathways.
This idea may sounds great in theory, but you still ask me:
- What do you do when the doors are threatened to be closed?
- What do you do when membership seems stuck in park?
- What do you do when growth is not developing like anticipated?
- What do you do when family members are at odds with one another
- What do you do when you have more bills than money?
- How can you make Jesus the priority when all of this other stuff is going on?
- How do you continue to believe or move forward when it appears that there is no point for a mission?
I leave you with this word of recovery. In the midst of all that you have encountered or have yet to experience, you just STAND and LOOK FORWARD. After all that you have been through that is all that you CAN do; stand and look forward. There will come a time where you can take the steps and move forward, but never lose sight of the goal. Keep doing good deeds in the Name of God, care for your community, and most importantly take care of yourself! What you are now encountering is a period called PROCESS. Process is not an easy season; it is not a pleasant season and in fact you feel as though you are wandering in the wilderness with blindfolds. But God sees and knows all about what you are going through, so KEEP PRESSING TOWARD THE MARK. Your mission, your ordained destiny will unfold in time; be ready for when the time comes.