This is the last in a series of three blogs on preparing for mission.

Hands

As we are going out to mission, hopefully we know in our heads why we do it, and that we have a passion in our hearts for what we are doing. So what about our hands? What are the practicalities of it?

Before Jesus left this earth to return to heaven, He met with His disciples on the mountain and said to them, ‘But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth’ (Acts 1:8. ESV). This was Jesus’ last command on earth and again it is something, not just for the disciples, but also for us. This verse is a good model for us to look at when we think about missions.

So often, when the word mission is mentioned, it is thoughts of foreign teams, flights to some distant lands, digging wells, hundreds of African children sitting under trees listening to a Bible story, and yes, this is all part of mission. But really, mission is something that starts on your doorstep, right where you are now. We somehow have got it into our minds that mission is about packing up our bags and travelling off somewhere, but it should start at home. Jesus told His disciples to be His witnesses in Jerusalem first of all. Jerusalem was right where they were. They were to start off in their own town. We too should begin mission at home. We should be involved in our local church and with outreaches that they are doing. We should reach out to children who don’t know the Gospel, who just live down the street from us. We think the unreached people live in tribes in foreign countries, but really, unreached people are living next door to us too.

These thoughts may fill us with fear. You may say, “But it’s much easier to go tell someone about Jesus in another land, rather than my neighbour next door,” and yes, that’s probably true. But who is going to tell your neighbour next door? Sometimes it is hard to share Jesus with those who are closest to us. We are worried about what our friends will think of us, or how the kids down the street might laugh at us for trying to have a 5 Day Club in their estate. But don’t these people need to hear about Jesus too?

It’s not all about standing in front or hundreds of children teaching the Bible. It’s about how we show them Jesus through the way we live our lives. It can be by visiting our neighbour and helping them out when they need it, or inviting them to come along to a church event. It’s about sitting down with a friend over coffee and sharing Jesus with them. It’s about showing that your life is different than the world around you.

Mission isn’t always about the big teams that we are part of, going across the world. Mission is about reaching the unreached around you, in your home or school or university or wherever you are. Will you reach out and show them Jesus?

What is mission?

  • Head: knowing that we are commanded by Jesus to be part of it
  • Heart: having a real passion for the Gospel, for the Lord and for the lost
  • Hands: realising that you can reach out right where you are and make a difference