I was listening to KLove radio this morning. They are talking all about missions and I began to pray for our son Josh, who is a staff pastor in Garland, Texas. The staff at his church began searching out what they feel missions is really about. As I was praying for them, the Lord lead me to look even deeper at what my definition of missions is. I feel this is what the Lord showed me. Missions is:
M - Myself
I - Invoking
S - Self
S - Sacrifice
I - In
O - Others
N - Needing
S - Salvation
I didn't know if the word invoking really described it until I looked the word up and it is exactly the word the Lord wanted me to use. Dictionary.com shows the word invoking as shown below.
verb (used with object), in·voked, in·vok·ing.
1. to call for with earnest desire; make supplication or pray for: to invoke God's mercy.
2. to call on (a deity, Muse, etc.), as in prayer or supplication.
3. to declare to be binding or in effect: to invoke the law; to invoke a veto.
4. to appeal to, as for confirmation.
5. to petition or call on for help or aid.
Invoking is calling on God and unless we take the time to call on God for this we will not truly be able to do missions sacrificially. I'm afraid sometimes I give but not sacrificially. We are so blessed to have been given the gospel,, nice homes, cars, and wonderful vacations and we forget there are millions of people dying daily and are in need of a Saviour. Someone to lift them out of the mire they are in. Help them find a loving relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. That person they are needing could be you.
Thanks for your prayers, mom. And thanks for the reminder that connecting to God's heart is the central part of a life on mission. We can do and say a lot but unless it is the overflow of God's love in our lives and unless we are following God's voice, ewe will always do more harm than good in the end.
ReplyDeleteI'm also learning through this process that God saves all of us in many ways. Mission doesn't always mean telling someone how to avoid hell (though it is part of it). It starts with our closest relationships. Our primary mission is to be a channel of God's restoration to those he has given us. So we start asking, "what is God's good news to my spouse? What is God's gospel to my fellow Christian whom I am at odds with?"
I have become firmly convinced that there should never be a foreign missionary who has not first learned to be a missionary in his own neighborhood.
You are 100% correct. Missions starts where you are before you know how to take it to the uttermost parts of the world. I popped into the blog this morning to make a change to what I had written and I seen your response. I was praying and realized that I should have said, " There are millions needing Salvation". They need salvation from drugs, alcohol, abuse, and just their way of life. Sometimes we may have to help them learn a new way of life before they can grasp the love of God and recieve him as their personal Saviour. They must see that we care and willing to help them before they can see what their greatest need is.
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