WHAT IS MISSION? Christian missions is following Christ’s call: sharing the gospel with the lost world through God’s wisdom and strength. Christian missions is obeying Christ After Christ’s death and resurrection, the Lord commanded the disciples to share the gospel, the message of His redemption: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19–20). Our mission is proclaiming Christ as the only Savior from sin and the only way to abundant, eternal life. Whom do we tell? Jesus told Christians to reach out to “all nations” (Matthew 28:19). Jesus sends us to all people groups, to every ethnic culture without a gospel witness. Christian missions, however, is not limited to international ministry. While believers should faithfully support those who go to the unreached on foreign soil, all Christians have the mission to share Christ on the home field with family, friends, coworkers, and the community. The Christian mission of sharing Christ does not end with a sinner’s salvation. The commission was to make disciples—not immature believers. Thus, Christian missions involves not only evangelism but also discipleship. Christian missions is relying on Christ Sharing the gospel humbly, boldly, and passionately is our Christian mission. But we cannot do it alone. The power and results of Christian missions come from the Lord. He gives us the wisdom, strength, and desire to witness! Through our witness, He works repentance and faith in the sinner’s heart (2 Corinthians 5:20–21). Although missions are ultimately God’s work, Christians are responsible to understand and share the gospel and to have a strong relationship with Christ. Such a relationship guards against hypocrisy. “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander” (1 Peter 3:15–16). Jesus assured us that suffering would accompany missions, but God uses even suffering for good (Romans 8:28). In sum, Christian missions is obeying Christ, sharing Christ, and relying on Christ. Specifically, God sends missionaries through the support of the church to the unreached. All Christians, however, have the mission of reconciliation. The Lord works through them to rescue the lost. 2. AS A BIBLE PREACHER, WHAT IS YOUR MISSION? A preacher is a man through whom it pleases Christ, the exalted Lord of all, the chief prophet of God, to speak to you. whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach except they be sent? Rom. 10:14, 15a Even as salvation in the new dispensation, in distinction from the old, is intended to be universal, that is, for all nations, so that there is no difference between Jew and Greek, so the gospel of God concerning His Son must be universally disseminated, must be preached to all nations. Therefore, there must be a preacher. And a preacher is necessarily one that is sent. And this requires a preacher. For, how shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? Faith is first. Before one can call on the name of the Lord, seek His refuge in the Name, he must have faith and that faith must be active. But how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? Hearing is essential to active and conscious faith. But again, how shall they hear without a preacher? Preaching and, therefore, the preacher is indispensable to the hearing of faith. And in 25years to come, my mission as a preacher, is externally relevance till the coming of Christ. 3. Spiritual Lethargy Spiritual lethargy may be defined as a state of indifference and/or inertia with regard to one’s own spiritual growth and vitality. To have a cold heart with little pity, little fire, little love and little worship is spiritual lethargy.” Some of the most common symptoms of spiritual lethargy include any combination of the following: -Chronic indulgence in sinful thoughts and actions -Little or no desire to pray -Engagement in exclusively Christ-less entertainment -Avoidance of personal accountability -Decreased appetite for Bible study -Selfish and materialistic orientation -Reluctant and sporadic church attendance Some of the above symptoms may be difficult to detect even by observant and discerning shepherds with pastoral ministry degrees. For example, a person who is languishing in spiritual lethargy may still engage in some form of religious activity albeit in a perfunctory manner. Further, those symptoms do not heal easily. However, pastors should be encouraged by the fact that none of them are incurable. Now that we have a spiritual lethargy definition, you may be wondering how to overcome spiritual lethargy. We’ll talk about that next! A Biblical Approach on How to Overcome Spiritual Lethargy The Bible instructs pastors on how to address spiritual lethargy when it overcomes those under their spiritual care. All churches have at least a few members who are dying spiritually and also some who need to be roused out of their slumber. One of the pastor’s responsibilities is to wake up the sleeping and exhort them to help restore those who are dying. By the grace of God, a living remnant can restore a dying church. Take for example the church in Ephesus (Rev. 2:1-7). The Ephesian Christians were active workers who persevered and remained morally upright. They were theologically orthodox and discerning in doctrinal matters. Despite these commendable qualities, the Ephesian church neglected something essential: “But I have this against you, that you have left your first love” (Rev. 2:4).[1] The Ephesians’ love for Christ had lost its depth and fervency. Their once vibrant faith degenerated into a cold orthodoxy. The Good Shepherd urged His sheep and contemporary pastors should urge their flocks to return to their first love. How does a Christian with an indifferent heart return to Jesus? The Son of God told the Ephesian church: “Remember therefore from where you have fallen” (Rev. 2:5a). Every believer has the capacity to bring to mind what their relationship with Christ was like. Pastors should attempt to stir the memory of the lethargic believer as a means to stir the heart. After you’ve understood the spiritual lethargy definition, the following questions may help you identify how to overcome spiritual lethargy: -Do you remember what it was like when you first fell in love with Christ? -Do you recall the spiritual exhilaration you experienced when you told others about your Savior? -Do you remember the wonderful sense of anticipation as you scheduled times to converse with Christ? After challenging the Ephesian church to remember their former condition, Jesus commanded them to “repent” (Rev. 2:5b) of their present condition. Speaking the truth in love, the pastor can challenge the lethargic person as follows: Change your mind about your sinful indifference toward Christ! Determine now to break away from your lifeless religiosity! Reverse the cooling trend by taking steps to rekindle your love for Christ! In addition to remembering their former condition and repenting of their present condition, Jesus urged the Ephesian believers to resume their former conduct: “do the deeds you did at first” (Rev. 2:5c). The deeds they did at first were prompted by love not obligation. With a heart freshly revived, the deeds would now be done with renewed enthusiasm and a deeper sense of satisfaction. 4. The parable of the lost sheep (Matthew 18: 10–14) Jesus tells the parable of the lost sheep to show that the Kingdom of God is accessible to all, even those who were sinners or strayed from God’s path. He uses the example of a shepherd (God) who has 100 sheep and one goes missing. The shepherd leaves the 99 others and searches high and low for the lost sheep. Jesus stresses that when the shepherd finds the lost sheep he rejoices over it more than the 99 who did not go astray. This is how God will rejoice when a sinner returns to Him. 5. GO INTO THE WORLD It means to God divinely commissioned everyone who has ever heard or read this command to "witness for Christ" and make converts for his religion. MATTHEW 20:18-20 Jesus’ final words to his disciples at the time of his Ascension, also known as the Great Commission, are recorded in Matthew 28:18-20: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” The singular command of the Great Commission is to “make disciples.” More than just a “convert to Christianity” or to some “particular ‘faith and practice’” (Willard p. xii), a disciple is a learner, a pupil, or an apprentice – a person who has decided to follow their master and become like him or her. Christians are to apprentice themselves to Christ and allow Christ to shape their lives after his life. Discipleship does not end with conversion, rather it is a life-long relationship of walking with and growing in Christ. Three words (participles) in the text characterize the mandate of disciple-making. 1) Go – the thought is, “as you are going,” make disciples of those you encounter in your daily living. Disciple-makers do not simply build a church on the corner and wait for disciples to come to them. Going suggests a lifestyle of reaching out, patterned after the life of Jesus. 2) Baptizing – baptism in biblical times was an act closely associated with salvation in which individuals identified themselves with the Lord Jesus Christ and the fellowship of the church. Disciple-makers direct people to faith in Christ by their words and relationships. 3) Teaching -teaching involves equipping people to live, walk, think, and act like Jesus. Becoming a disciple is a lifelong process that is never fully achieved. THE USE OF MONEY IN MISSION Money is both influential and powerful; it can be used strategically for the benefit of God’s kingdom or detrimentally through creating paternalistic dependence. 1. Money is valuable and as such is a significant resource for the promotion of God’s purposes. 2. Money is vulnerable to manipulation and misrepresentation by dishonest people, even believers. 3. Money is visible, the handling of which comprises an observable public test of one’s inner heart condition before God and humans. 4. Money is to be vicariously stewarded by God’s people, the misuse of which “tests the Spirit of the Lord” (Acts 5:9). There is nothing more controversial and contentious for humans than the handling of money. When it comes to the Christian mission, there are a variety of opinions as to how it should be mobilized, organized, and utilized. When multiple cultures are involved, opinions and issues are compounded exponentially.
