“It is insufficient to proclaim that the Church of God has a mission in the world. Rather, the God of mission has a Church.” ~ Tim Dearborn
It is that time of year again, planning summer activities for my kids. Some activities are possibilities to be considered; some are part of a routine. The routine is, when you enter 6th grade you will be going on the mission trip each year. Last year my oldest son went on his first mission trip to Georgia, and this year he is headed to Gastonia, NC. These mission trips provide him with an opportunity to serve others physically and spiritually through servanthood. When he arrives he is given a chore, it could be picking up trash, or power washing someone’s house, possibly scrapping paint off the side of a house (which he did last year). For middle schoolers this is a big deal to put others needs before themselves. This is where teaching service begins.
And if it is the Lord’s will, a fire is lit and the desire for missions grows and grows like my cousin Michael who will be heading off to Latvia sometime in September. His life’s goal is to serve God. He has studied, he has prayed and he has worked very hard towards this goal. Now it is time for God to use a servant in a mighty way.
You might be thinking, well that is all well and good, but I am changing diapers, how does this pertain to me? When you are with a mother’s group that is your mission field; when you are at the store that is another mission field; when you are shopping at Wal-Mart there are people who notice you even when you are not aware, that is your mission field.
We don’t go to church each Sunday or Wednesday so we can learn about missions, Church exists because there is a need for missions. Church is for us to learn more about God, to gain support from other believers, so in return we head out to God’s mission field. We bring people into church, so they can learn more about God and grow.
My Pastor growing up had a term that I will never forget, I think of it often:
COME, GROW, & GO
Come to church, be fed and grow spiritually and then go out into your assigned mission field. Sometimes you find Christians stuck in the “grow”, but there is no reason for growth if you are not going to “go”.
So I challenge you today…..
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