God is on a Mission
"What is it about your faith that compels you to do missions?" I was asked this week. An excellent question, I might add, and one that I am happy to answer as simply as I can in this short post. As I prepare to leave for Burkina Faso once again in a little less than a week, and as I ongoingly prepare to move to Burkina in the next year, I want to give God the glory he deserves for bringing me to this place.
It is only because of him that I am going. It only because of him that I am not afraid. I am nothing special, and I have no special call...just a love for Jesus and a willingness to go where he sends. Really, that's no different from any other follower of Jesus. We are all God's kids, loved by him, saved by his grace, and invited to participate in kingdom mischief to make his name known wherever we go.
Since the beginning, God has been on a mission. He created the cultures of the world, and he loves all people extravagantly. His purpose was to create a global gathering of worshippers who would love him and enjoy him forever. After the fall of man, God has been on a mission through his prophets, apostles, and Christ himself to take back his kingdom and win the hearts of the people of all nations. Our God is so big, and he is a global God whose heart is for the entire world to know him. For this reason, God has been on a mission: to make his name famous among the nations so at all people will know that he is God. The climax of this mission will be complete in heaven, when people from every tongue, tribe, people, and nation will fall before the lamb in worship (Revelation 7:9-10).
It is because of God's heart for the nations that I have also come to love the people of the world. I asked God to unite my heart with his. I wanted to be passionate about what he is passionate about. I prayed for him to break my heart for what breaks his. God has answered my prayer and given me a piece of his heart for the world - especially for the lost, the broken hearted, the poor, and the outcasts. And now he is calling me to live in Burkina Faso, Africa, to serve and love his people who need him so desperately.
The reason I am going to Africa to live among some of the worlds poorest people is not because I want to be a good person nor because I feel like I need to do more to please God. The reason my faith compels me to give my life to missions is quite simple. It is simply a love for Jesus that has changed the direction of my life. He has given me a faith and love for him that is more valuable to me than anything else. Because of his love for me, his grace poured out on the cross to save me, and his invitation to be his child, my response is to follow him wherever he leads me.
The great commission to "go into the world and preach the gospel to the nations" is for all of us. We all have a special part to play in the advancement of the kingdom of God. Jesus said in Matthew 24:14 that his second coming will only arrive when the gospel has been preached to the whole world. He wants to use each of us to finish this task! Ask God what that looks like for you. Maybe it means devoting time every day to pray for the unreached nations of the world, which can be found atwww.joshuaproject.net. Perhaps it means going on a mission trip or supporting someone financially as they go. It could even mean welcoming international students into your home to show them the love of Christ.
Habakkuk 2:14 says, "The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." God is on a mission to advance his glorious kingdom to every people group of the world, and he has graciously invited all of us to be a part of this great mission.
Since the beginning, God has been on a mission. He created the cultures of the world, and he loves all people extravagantly. His purpose was to create a global gathering of worshippers who would love him and enjoy him forever. After the fall of man, God has been on a mission through his prophets, apostles, and Christ himself to take back his kingdom and win the hearts of the people of all nations. Our God is so big, and he is a global God whose heart is for the entire world to know him. For this reason, God has been on a mission: to make his name famous among the nations so at all people will know that he is God. The climax of this mission will be complete in heaven, when people from every tongue, tribe, people, and nation will fall before the lamb in worship (Revelation 7:9-10).
It is because of God's heart for the nations that I have also come to love the people of the world. I asked God to unite my heart with his. I wanted to be passionate about what he is passionate about. I prayed for him to break my heart for what breaks his. God has answered my prayer and given me a piece of his heart for the world - especially for the lost, the broken hearted, the poor, and the outcasts. And now he is calling me to live in Burkina Faso, Africa, to serve and love his people who need him so desperately.
The reason I am going to Africa to live among some of the worlds poorest people is not because I want to be a good person nor because I feel like I need to do more to please God. The reason my faith compels me to give my life to missions is quite simple. It is simply a love for Jesus that has changed the direction of my life. He has given me a faith and love for him that is more valuable to me than anything else. Because of his love for me, his grace poured out on the cross to save me, and his invitation to be his child, my response is to follow him wherever he leads me.
The great commission to "go into the world and preach the gospel to the nations" is for all of us. We all have a special part to play in the advancement of the kingdom of God. Jesus said in Matthew 24:14 that his second coming will only arrive when the gospel has been preached to the whole world. He wants to use each of us to finish this task! Ask God what that looks like for you. Maybe it means devoting time every day to pray for the unreached nations of the world, which can be found atwww.joshuaproject.net. Perhaps it means going on a mission trip or supporting someone financially as they go. It could even mean welcoming international students into your home to show them the love of Christ.
Habakkuk 2:14 says, "The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." God is on a mission to advance his glorious kingdom to every people group of the world, and he has graciously invited all of us to be a part of this great mission.
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