Mission-religious mission. 2a. ministry commissioned by a religious organization to propagate its faith or carry on humanitarian work. 2b. assignment to or work in a field of missionary enterprise. 2c1. a mission establishment. 2c2. a local church or parish dependent on a larger religious organization for direction or financial support. 2d. organized missionary work. 2e. a course of sermons and services given to convert the unchurched or quicken Christian faith. 3. A body of persons sent to perform a service or carry on an activity.
The list goes on and on, but it still doesnt say quite what I'm looking for. The answer to my question...What is God's mission for me? As a team my youth group came up with this defination: Missions is loving like Jesus did, everyone we meet, everywhere we go. For those of you (myself included) who need to know who exactly "everyone" is...Jesus is everyone. Not everyone that we meet will have accepted Jesus as their Savior, but Jesus resides in everyone that we meet, even if they do not know it. Think of the sheep and the goats. (Matthew 25:31-46) In this, are some very important instructions to us.
34Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' 37Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' 40And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'
The least of these...The least of these are those people in the world that we consider to be below ourselves (why we believe that I have no idea, we are all equal) they are the people that are hardest to love, they are all the prostitutes, the tax collectors, those that oppress us, those that smell funny, and those that freak us out.
Now allow me to take the opportunity to define for you (myself included as I do not claim to be omniscient) everywhere. I believe that "everywhere" (the entire world) goes back to the years following the flood. The decendents of Noah all spoke the same language though they lived far from eachother in different nations. There was no need for a separate language. The want to be great drove them to begin "build(ing) ouselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth." (Genesis 11:4) In Genesis 11:7 God mixes up their language so that they have several languages, not allowing them to continue their communication while building the Tower of Babel. Their lack in communication skills stopped their building of this great towerand the left the city. Genesis 11:9b says "And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth." All the earth. That doesn't just mean the United States of America. It's not just England or France. We can add China into the mix and it still wouldn't be the entire earth! The entire earth! From the highest North through the furthest South. The entire East until you are past the West. Every single nation, every single person, everywhere you go! That is the entire earth! That is everywhere. Earlier I said that I was not talking about going into enemy territory and saving the world...yet. Now, I'm talking about it.
Matthew 28:19-20a states: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you."
2 Timothy 4:2 instructs us to "preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching."
Every nation. That is God's commandment to us. Going into Satan's turf and teaching those living there about Jesus Christ and helping them to accept Him as their personal Savior. As I said...going into enemy territory and saving the world.
How do we love like Jesus did? How do we love like God loves us? Several books in the Bible teach us about loving one another, but there are a few verses that I want to look at specifically.
1 John 3:16: "By this we know love, that He laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers."
Matthew 5:44 tells us to "Love our enemies and pray for those that persecute (us)."
John 3:16 states that "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
1 John 4:7- "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God."
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Alright this post is not complete..but I need to go and get some stuff for my trip to South Padre for Student Life. I'll finish it up by this evening.
