On a Mission for God

1 Corinthians 7:17 Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches.

This message is for those that are trying to be followers of Christ.

How many of you have ever been on a mission, where you traveled to another country or even to just another state to spread the news of the Gospel? Who would love to go work in a mission field where you can spread the Gospel?

Back 20 years ago, in 1995, we were living in Amarillo, Texas and I went along with the youth group on a 10 day mission trip to Colorado. Our base was a small church in Rifle, Colorado which is halfway between Glenwood Springs and Parachute Colorado, out in the middle of west central Colorado.

The youth split into 2 groups, one traveling to Grand Junction and the other to Glenwood Springs each day. The first couple mornings were spent passing out fliers for a Bible Study to be held by them at a local church. The next several days they held vacation Bible school. Then each afternoon they did an activity, such as riding bicycles through Glenwood Canyon, hiking Rifle Falls and one day even whitewater rafting the Colorado River.

I went as the cook! I thought that this couldn't be that hard….boy was I wrong. I was in charge of cooking 3 meals a day for 52 hungry youths and several parents in a kitchen smaller than most homes. Did I mention that we stayed in a church in Rifle? That brought a whole new meaning of sleeping in church. At least the pews were cushioned covered. I managed about 4 hours of sleep every night. We also had to drive an hour to get showers, as I said the church we stayed in was small.

I had to get up at 4 am to start preparing the breakfast that had to be served at 6am, so they could get out the door by 7 am. Once they were gone, it was time to clean up and start fixing lunch.

The youth put on a play for other churches 3 nights while we were there. On these nights I got a respite from cooking, as the church would provide supper for us. (I was never so grateful for a home cooked meal.) I was exhausted after that trip, but was so filled by the Holy Spirit that nothing could take that smile off my face.

“Now the Lord says to me, ‘It isn't enough for you to be merely my servant. You must do more than lead back survivors from the tribes of Israel. I have placed you here as a light for other nations; you must take my saving power to everyone on earth’” (Isaiah 49:6 CEV)

God wants us to live out his mission everywhere: in our families, our communities, and our world. His mission for your life is both global and local. God has sent us out on a mission, in our everyday life. That mission field of your everyday life is your work site. Think about it, you spend around 40 hours a week for about 48 weeks a year for minimum of 25 years. That’s almost 50,000 hours of your life on the mission field for God.

You say, well I despise my job or I dislike the people that I work with or even my boss is a jerk! How can I spread the Gospel at work? Well you can start praying for your co-worker that you dislike, or your boss.

That’s a great place to start, and I am not saying Please God deal with this Jerk! No no no, pray for their salvation, pray for their understanding, but most of all pray for their soul.

Where else can we serve as a missionary in our everyday walk? What does that look like? Grab a handful of business cards from the church or grab some tracts and leave these with your server when you go out to eat and when you pay your bill. Leave one of these with your tip, not instead of. You could even use your business card and write scripture on the back. Leave the cards or tracts in spaces that you know someone will see them.

Get into a conversation with the checker at the grocery store, ask them if they go to church, invite them to yours. Be the light.

That’s God’s plan for the world. That’s his mission for you. He wants everyone on Earth to know him. And he wants to use you to see that happen. God didn't just say that to missionaries or pastors. If you’re in his family, he gave his mission to you!

Is it possible that you need to change the way you live to follow God’s plan? If so, what would that look like in your life?

Start doing something for the Kingdom and don’t regret where you are in life. Remember this as well:

Psalm 37:5-6 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.

Go be the Church!