This post deals with our understanding of missions. There are a variety of resources that will help us grasp the concept of missions: the dictionary, Scripture, and a couple of videos.
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First of all, let's get a better understanding of the word mission.
Webster's online dictionary has several definitions for the term, all of which you can find here, but for the most part mission involves a purpose, or goal, and someone actively moving towards that purpose or goal. We all can remember from grammar class the tedious lessons that forced us to remember the difference between the active and the passive voice. Looking back, I see how knowing this difference is important. Remember that in the passive voice, the main noun in a sentence is the thing that receives the action. However, in the active voice, the main noun in the sentence is the thing taking action. When you think about missions, or the Christian walk in general, that is how we are supposed to live, actively and not passively. |
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Another place that will give us better understanding of mission is Acts 2. The disciples were close to Jesus during His ministry on earth. They walked with Him daily and witnessed His power, teaching, and compassion. The disciples trusted that Jesus was indeed the Messiah that the Old Testament prophesied about. However, the disciples still fled at various moments leading up to Jesus' crucifixion. When Jesus rose from the grave, the disciples worshipped Him and spent time in fellowship with Him. When He ascended into heaven, the disciples felt a grieving in their hearts, because the Savior of the world would no longer walk with them physically. However, Jesus reassured the disciples that God the Holy Spirit would always be with them. Even though the disciples would no longer see Jesus physically heal people, they would still see the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus reassures them of this in Acts 1, specifically verse 8. In Acts 2, we get a picture of how a worship service leads to missions and evangelism. Because of the power of the Holy Spirit, those outside the Church were led to those who were worshipping, and those who worshipped had the opportunity to witness to those outside the Church and explain the work of Christ. Such provision by the Holy Spirit brought many others to salvation.
I could go on, but the point of this is that missions requires the work of the Holy Spirit. If you aren't in tune with the Lord, you won't be able to do His work. You need to be saved, and you need to be walking closely with Him in a committed relationship. Do you want to see the work of the Lord, the work of the Holy Spirit in your life?
Check out the following videos for a look at two examples of mission opportunities. Neither of these videos are mine, but I personally know individuals involved in the ministries below and have seen the missional work and power of the Holy Spirit God in these ministries. The first video is a promo about two ministries (Desperation Church and Bellevue Baptist College) coming together for local missions. The second video is a recap of the work of Christ carried out by Amazon Medical Missions and another ministry that joined them in Peru. The videos give more info about the ministries involved.
For more info on Desperation Church, click here.
For more info on Amazon Medical Missions, click here!
