Perspective on Mission
When I was 15, I went on a mission trip to the Philippines, much against my will.
I didn't believe in God when I left, but I met Jesus on that trip — it was a wild ride. After that experience, I wanted to be a missionary. I loved the idea of leaving my home in the United States and traveling to another country to bring the love of Jesus there. I had dreams of taking God to people who had never heard of Him before. In my young mind, this work was filled with daring rescue missions and saving people from their sins. Basically, I imagined myself as the protagonist of an action movie, just a Jesus version.
Though I no longer want to be a missionary, I think this same mentality is present and active inside the church.
When we think about planting churches, witnessing (what a churchy term) or youth mission trips, we often imagine them as ‘us taking God into another place.’ While we would never phrase it this way, this means that God moving in that area is incumbent upon our going into that place. While our obedience to follow God's voice is important, this mentality puts a lot of unnecessary pressure on us.
What if we approached missions (local or global) with the idea of partnering with God where He is already at work?
The truth is — God is at work in the world in ways we cannot see. I can't help but wonder how our perspectives on our cities, states and nations might change if we partnered with the Holy Spirit where He's already working.
The beauty of this mental shift is that it reminds us that God is present everywhere. I believe there are few places where the Holy Spirit isn't already at work. This means that as I go about serving my community, I'm not responsible for bringing God to that place. I'm simply called to partner with Him. It's not up to me to save everyone I encounter, but I can humbly play a part in sharing the Kingdom of God wherever I go.
One of my favorite examples of this is the book of Jonah. The titular character was a prophet who did not like the people of Nineveh, the very nation God told him to go prophesy to. Jonah's dislike of this group was understandable — they were basically terrorists. The people of Nineveh had amassed a great deal of wealth and had garnered a reputation of being evil people. But the most remarkable thing happens in Jonah 3 — the king and the entire nation turned from their wicked ways.
What an incredible outpouring of God from a prophet who didn't want to be there! When I read this story, I am reminded that God is so much bigger than I can even fathom. The King of Nineveh didn't come to the Lord because of Jonah's preaching — it was a move of the Holy Spirit. God was already at work in the heart of the king even before Jonah arrived. In fact, I wonder if God had the king primed to repent before He sent Jonah to the nation.
Of course, I'm not discounting our need to go into the world and live on-mission. But I do think examining how we view "missions" or "serving" is a worthwhile endeavor.
I wonder how our service to others might change if we looked for opportunities to partner with God instead of trying to manufacture opportunities for us to be the hero. How might we love and serve others if we didn't feel the pressure to "bring God” to places and people? How could our lives change if we looked to partner with God where He already is?
I pray that we dare to ask God where He's already working and then partner with Him and others in His work. God is active in our cities and communities; let's be a people who recognize His hand and join in!
