What Mission?

When you hear the word "Mission" in any church context what comes to mind? Missionaries in a foreign country country, teaching others about the Gospel of Jesus, right? That's what I thought. I looked at it like the people here, "us," would go to a people over there, "them," and teach them about Jesus. In one sense this is true, but it is not the truth about the mission of the church...missionaries are simply one expression of it.

Somehow we have accepted the idea that the mission of the church is to go on missions. Now one of the ways we express the mission of the church is to go on mission, but that is not "THE" mission of the church. Enough use of the mission word already?

The mission of the church is what Jesus told us to do as followers. Jesus said:

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations..." Matthew 28:19(a)

Jesus did not say go on a mission trip, He said to go and make disciples - that is the mission of the church. The where, when, and how are up to you. Our response to Jesus, and to the Great Commission, is to "GO" and make disciples. When we think this means to go on a mission trip, we are omitting all that we have been asked, and if we are not careful we can turn the Great Commission into the great omission.

The difference between being on mission and going on a mission trip is all about choices. One can choose to go on a mission trip to accomplish some sense of fulfilling a missionary part of the Christian life, or one can become missional and live each day on mission, right where you are. God has you where you are for a reason, be on mission there, and if the opportunity presents itself go on a mission trip as well...that is a life changing experience I will save for another post. All the while, wherever you go make making disciples the goal.

...just sayin'

In His grip,

Pastor Pat