Go Where He Leads - Some Thoughts on "Missions" Pt. 2

I have given more thought to this issue, and I have realized how very important it is how we understand all this. How we answer this question I believe speaks volumes about what we really think about God and His ultimate sovereignty over all peoples, situations, and happenings.

I guess the bottom line question here is, "who's in charge?" By that I mean us to ask ourselves who we think is running the show, who is getting things done in the world, who is spreading the Gospel, who is causing nations to fall to their knees, and who gets the glory? Upon hearing such questions, the obvious Sunday-school answer is, well, obvious: it's God. But the point I wish to make here is, do we really know this and live like it's true? To illustrate this last statement by an example, the great reformer Martin Luther was once asked by his congregation why he continued to preach the Gospel every week in his sermons, as if to imply that they wanted him to give them something more to fill their souls, something that had more "weight" to it, as it were. When asked why he continued to preach the Gospel week by week, he answered: "Because Beloved, week by week you forget it." I think the situation in this German church is similar to what is happening in our world today. We think that because we know about Jesus and we know the Gospel message, that somehow we can now "move on" to more important things, or move on to the good stuff because we're ready, like the Gospel is old hat, it's about Jesus dying on the cross...blah...blah...raised from the dead...blah...seated at the right hand of God Almighty....blah....blah. The problem with such thinking is really quite obvious: we have nothing more. It's not something we have to think real hard about and develop some silly drawn-up application to our lives. The Gospel is what it is, and we know that "it's the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes" (Romans 1:16) and that we should not be ashamed of it for this very reason (rest of verse). I think we have slipped into sin in this area as the Church, at least in some circles. We think there is something more past the Gospel that will really feed us, that will really make our lives better, but the fact is we are ashamed of the Gospel if we deny its power to change lives--from the beginning to the end, for God is the author as well as the finisher of our faith (Heb. 12:2), and His power lies in the Gospel of Jesus.

All this to make the point that I think we, including me, have failed in believing the Gospel, and in believing the Commission, which are both really the same thing if you think about it (i.e. Jesus going after all types of people, so we should also). We have failed to make the Commission our mission (not to sound redundant and lame....ok scratch that). Let me try again: We have failed to obey Jesus Christ, the Almighty Sovereign Lord of the Universe who holds us in His hand as if over a raging fire (keep it simple). Ok, I had to throw in some J. Ed. Perhaps we need some good ol' fear of God back in us. Ok, I've gotten off. I'll try to regroup.

To connect all this rabbit-trailing, what I am getting at is that we have failed to trust God. We have failed to be about the Gospel in all we do. We have failed in many respects in just, well, trusting God. Not to be repetitive, but I think it's really the problem. We have this thing where we say, "God's got everything in control," and then we say stuff like, "we need to preach the Gospel to those guys with warpaint all over them because they will never know Jesus if we don't," as if we are really that important. There's obvious confusion here I think. Now sure, as Paul asks, "how will they hear without a preacher?" (Rom. 10:14) But we must be slow to answer the question, "oh we have to do it or else it will never happen," because we're the important guys, right, us Christians, right, we're special, right? Well....not really. We're really just a bunch of people God decided to be nice to and be spared from a righteous and just wrath (read about Noah and the flood that slayed all but 8 people off the face of the Earth if you're skeptical here, a nice children's story I might add.......). We need our priorities straighted out here. God has chosen to be nice to us by giving us Jesus as a sacrifice, so "how will he not also graciously give us all things?" (Rom. 8:32) This includes the empowerment to live as He wills, sanctifying us into the image of His Son, doing the good works God "prepared in advance for us to do." (Eph. 2:10) This includes missions (here we are finally). These are the good works He prepared in advance for us.

Ephesians 2 says that we are God's workmanship, by His grace, and we do good works by His grace, and we have faith by His grace...grace, grace, grace, grace, grace. Get the point? It's all a gift, it's all a gift, it's all a gift. Your faith is a gift, the faith that claims the righteousness of Christ and not our crappy lives is a gift. The faith that boldy trust that God's promises about Jesus taking away our sin is true. It's all just one big gift. Think of all the good things in your life; they're all gifts. James says 'every good and perfect gift comes from God'. Go look it up, I'm tired of looking up the verse numbers.

We must not forget where our power comes from. The power to preach the Gospel comes from the Gospel. The power to see sinners come to the feet of the cross is from the Gospel. The power to live redeemed lives free from the hindering and crushing work of sin is from the Gospel. And it's Jesus who makes all things work together for good for those that love him. It's Jesus behind the scenes giving you a 'calling', a 'personality', friends, coworkers, etc. Acts 17:26 says that God determines the time and the place that you will live, and also provides you the means to accomplish your mission because He is the one who prepared it all in advance for you to do. The message is simple, but actually really perplexing: God's in control, but do your part, because it makes things so much simpler and easier. Like I said before (and not to be oversimplistic because each of these things deserve prayer and contemplation before figuring out and executing), preach the Gospel, go where you like, marry someone that loves Jesus and is with you on the Gospel mission, love your neighbor, etc. And I will say also, what you do, where you go, who you marry, who you preach the Gospel to, who your neighbor is, are all not nearly as important, I would venture to say are not important (again, don't misunderstand me) in comparison to who you worship, because our God is infinitely bigger God than any of our little issues on Earth and all knees will bow to the Sovereign in the end. Thank you Jesus. Amen.