Right this very moment, there are missionaries on the frontlines of peril and calamity. They are giving their lives for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and they are trusting God for their protection and provision every moment of each day. Many of us have nothing like their day to day circumstances and believe we can’t relate to the peril they face daily. We may even think our lives and commitment to the Gospel pales in comparison, but it would be extremely helpful to our spiritual walks in Christ to give this another look. Missionaries that travel to distant lands most assuredly make a great sacrifice, and this cannot be denied, but they are living out their life’s purpose just as we must live out ours. The work they are doing is crucial to the move of God’s Word throughout the world, but in the Lord’s eyes, it is no more significant and important than the work all believers are doing as ambassadors for Jesus Christ. We are all one body.
A missionary is most commonly defined as a person that is a member of a religious group sent to an area to promote their faith. During their assignments, missionaries also minister the gospel of Jesus Christ and perform services such as education, health care, teaching, and assist with various other social issues. But in the truest sense of the word, a missionary is a person with a mission, and every believer of the Lord Jesus Christ has been assigned this mission. It is to share his Gospel. He taught the disciples in Acts 1:8(NLT), “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
It is crucial that we understand how impactful this commission of Christ is for the life of a believer. Our commitment to his commission determines the level to which we will live the more than abundant life that our Lord and Savior has made available. We were created out of God’s love, and love is the purpose that makes our lives complete. And not our definition of love, we’re talking about the love of Jesus Christ. This is the kind of love that transforms lives, and he has commanded us to be ambassadors of it. We must also understand that the devil is God’s number one enemy, and he will pull out all the stops to keep us from knowing about Jesus Christ’s commission, so that we will not pursue it. 2Corinithans 4:4(NLT) tells us, “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.”
Many are feeling lost, particularly during this very troubling season. Some have said that it is the worse thing that has ever happened to them, and they haven’t experienced joy in a very long time. But could it be that we look to the wrong sources for joy? Nehemiah 8:10 affirms that the joy of the Lord is our strength. God’s desire for us is to be joyful every moment of each day, and this joy is a byproduct of moving according to His divine plan for our lives. Joy comes from being who God has called us to be, and from doing the things He has commanded us to do. It has nothing to do with external conditions and circumstances. Joy is an inside job. Jesus Christ has given it to us, and once we grab hold of it, the world can’t take it away.
Deep within, we know this. We understand that we have a calling in the Will of God, and even now it is pulling on us more than ever, even if we’re not conscious of it. We’ve reached a precipice, and now is the time to come into consciousness regarding what God desires us to do. Our discomfort in life is a sure indication that the time to embrace our calling is past due, and we need to avoid the jeopardy of falling further behind.
More than ever, the world is begging that we show it the love of God in the way that He purposed us to. Heavenly Father desires to demonstrate His love to you, and He desires to demonstrate His love through you. Jesus Christ said in John 6:38(NLT), “For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will.” This is the attitude of gratitude and humility God requires. It’s His Will that must be our first priority, not our own.
For decades God has been preparing us for such a time as this. We are now seeing the prophecy that was spoken by the prophet, Joel, and written in Joel 2:28. This same prophecy was repeated by Peter, one of the disciples, in Acts 2:17(NLT). After he and the other disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit, they began to speak with new tongues. Before Jesus Christ was sacrificed, unbelievers were trying to destroy him and his followers. They were under increased scrutiny and fearful for their lives after he ascended, because they thought they were without protection and covering. But after the infilling of the Spirit, they received tremendous boldness. Peter began to preach to the crowd that had gathered on this day of Pentecost. In Act 2:17(NLT), he proclaimed, “In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.”
We are witnessing such an outpouring by Heavenly Father right now. In the past, we were taught to lean heavily on others for spiritual guidance, but this was never meant to take the place of the guidance we receive from the Holy Spirit that indwells us. In John 16:13(NLT), Jesus Christ said, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.” The Holy Spirit guides us into ALL truth. He is also our teacher, comforter, and friend. We are entering a period where there can no longer be anyone coming between us and the Holy Spirit. We must learn to depend solely on him for ourselves.
Many believers are feeling discomfort. Hearing from God will give them a tremendous sense of peace and confidence. If we will begin to pray more, to quiet our souls and meditate on God’s Word and think only of Jesus Christ, we will receive the visions and dreams it speaks of in Acts 2:17. God will tell us His Will for our lives, and He will tell us about the future. We desperately need this information, and if we begin to seek Him as never before, He will unveil our mission and give us the strategy to fulfill it. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Your Mission”, written for Springfield Fellowship © 2020. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.