Mission Minded

The crew of the starship Enterprise had a five year mission: "to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilization, to boldly go where no one has gone before." Businesses all around our country have a mission. But the mission of the church is by far the most important mission we can have.

Many churches claim that they are a mission minded church. They give money to missions, they pray for missions, they have mission Sundays, they teach about missions in their church, they even send a mission team out every year to some exotic location. But for all of that, the church, the body, the people that fill the pews, are not all that mission minded.

Running full steam into this mission is one way that the early church was able to see the message of God, the Good News of God, go viral. As we continue our series, let’s look at the mission mindedness of the early church.

In the church that was at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius the Cyrenian, Manaen, a close friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 

As they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work I have called them to.” Then after they had fasted, prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them off. 

Being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they came down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. (Acts 13:1-4, HCSB)

We see here 5 individuals that were elders of the church at Antioch. These 5 were the key teachers and proclaimers of God Word. Remember that prophet is someone that proclaims the message of God. Sometimes that message is about the future as we can see throughout the Bible by prophets like Elijah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. But the more common prophet in the Bible were those that went around the countryside telling others what God has already said to us through His written Word.

So this church in Antioch had 5 preachers and teachers that led the church and God called them to set aside 2 of them to go on a special mission to Cyprus. Notice that they fasted, prayed, and laid hands on them before they sent them out. This is important because it shows that the entire church was supportive of this.

Laying hands on them was symbolic of a father giving his blessing to his child. It did not mean that the father would no longer have any contact with his child, it did not mean that he would never see his child again, it meant that I am giving you my full support in whatever you are about to do. When a church sends out a missionary, they are committing to fully support that missionary in their calling and work. Financially, emotionally, physically, and spiritually as they are able.

Our churches today are still called to be mission minded. Every member is called to be on mission for God and some members have been or will be called to a special mission for God. The way we react to this calling will determine how viral the message of Jesus will be spread through our community, our nation, and our world.

If we see this call as an option, as if it was some Mission Impossible scenario where we can choose to accept, then we are telling God that He is not the boss of our lives. We are claiming that we have a choice in what we do rather than understanding that we have been bought by the precious blood of Jesus, our sacrificial Lamb.

Jesus paid the death sentence for our sins so that we could be forgiven and live with God for all of eternity. All that He asks in return is that everything we have and are belong to Him and that we let Him be in charge. If that is the case, then we have no option but to obey Him.

Being on mission for God is not an extracurricular activity that is only for the select few of the church that have the skills and abilities to serve on that elite team. Being on mission for God is a calling for every single follower of Jesus.

When Jesus stood for the last time with His disciples, He gave them these instructions: 19 “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19,20, HCSB)

This is called the Great Commission or as some will say, our marching orders from God. As a follower of God, as someone that claims that God is the boss of your life, you have been called to join God on this mission.

Jesus said that as we go, wherever we go, that we are to tell others all that we have seen and heard about Him, to teach them to obey all that He has commanded, and to baptize them in the name of—now look at this—the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. This mission involves all of God, every ounce of His being, and He wants you to join in wholeheartedly as well.

Our mission is not only to the strange lands such as Asia, Africa, Europe, South America, or Texas. We are called to be on mission everyday as we go to school, to work, to the store, out to eat, walking in our neighborhood, attending a cookout with friends or family…everywhere. But God does also call some individuals to be part of His mission to the far-off lands as He did with Saul and Barnabas.

Will we accept this call from God? Will we tell others the wonderful things that we have seen and heard? Will we teach others all that God has commanded us to obey? Will we baptize others in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit? That is what will make us a mission minded church.

Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations. Start with this nation. Start with our state, our county, our city, even our neighborhood. Tell others about Jesus. Baptize them. And make disciples so that the process continues. It is because others for thousands of years were willing to do just this that you can sit here today confident in your salvation. Because they told people all that they had seen and heard. Because they told others about Jesus.