“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” Mark 1:17 (NIV)
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” John 20:21 (ESV)
Too often the word “mission” is thought of more in terms of a project we volunteer for, a trip we go on once a year, or an outreach event we are a part of at the local homeless shelter or juvenile detention center. While the word “mission” does mean to be sent, the truth is, when Jesus invited us into his mission, he was inviting us into the adventure of a lifetime; not into some sporadic events we choose to volunteer for here and there.
Finding our identity in Christ means that we also find our identity in his mission. As the Father sent him, Jesus as sent us. It’s not something we turn on or off like a program or event. It becomes our lifestyle—an adventure of living each day and every moment with Jesus as he breathes redemptive hope into the broken world we live in.
Every breath has a missional rhythm with Jesus.
In his book Joining Jesus on His Mission: How to Be an Everyday Missionary, Greg Finke puts it this way:
Joining Jesus on his redemptive mission is what I mean by the term “missional living.” “Missional living” is simply living each day as if it were a mission trip. The difference, of course, is that instead of being on a mission trip to a foreign land, we are on a mission trip to our own community. We are Neighborhood Missionaries. The word “missional” is simply a descriptive word indicating that each part of our daily lives can now be seen as part of Jesus’ redemptive mission in our community.
Going out to get the mail, going to the store for a gallon of milk or going to the school to pick up our kids now has mission potential. But don’t worry. Joining Jesus on his mission is easier than we think— not more complicated. Joining Jesus doesn’t add another layer of busyness on top of an already insane schedule. Instead, joining Jesus results in less stress, more life, more laughter and more fruit than what many of us are currently seeing. Living missionally simply requires a new “missional” mindset – in other words, we begin to think of ourselves as Neighborhood Missionaries – and to put some new “missional” practices into play along the way…
Joining Jesus’ mission is not so much about changing the whole church as it is about changing our own mindset and practices and inviting a few friends to come with us… Let the adventure begin.
Questions for reflection:
- How is Jesus messing with you?
- What is he up to in this moment?
- What is he inviting you to notice, believe or wrestle with?
- What is he inviting you to do today?
Father, help us to see our lives in your kingdom as an everyday adventure of living with Jesus in the very natural, unforced rhythms of mission. Give us passion to live every moment as a missional moment; the opportunity to offer subconscious worship in every thought and breathe redemptive hope into every circumstance and every relationship. This is the adventure of living with Jesus. In his blessed name, Amen.