Our church recently had the honor of commissioning our students, teachers, and school employees as the school year kicked off. We prayed for them to be effective in their love of God and others throughout the year. We realize they are missionaries in a great field of people whom God loves. They have a tremendous opportunity to share the love of Jesus with many, many people.
Consider the following excerpt:
A June 2014 article published by missiologist Ed Stetzer, formerly of Lifeway Research, states that fewer people may be calling themselves Christians in the future—and the trend may be a good thing. Greg Jao, national field director of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, agrees with the prediction. He says this is not bad because more people will be more honest about their faith. The meaning of “Christian” will be more defined, which would create new opportunities to share the gospel.
Both Stetzer and Jao say the number of people with a real faith in Jesus will not diminish. Rather, there will be fewer people who identify themselves as Christian due to the culture. Jao says, “Twenty years ago you might talk to somebody about Jesus, and they would say ‘Oh, sure, sure. I’m already Christian; I go to church occasionally.’ Well, now you have people who say, ‘I don’t go to church at all.’ And because they don’t go to church at all, they’re a little bit more open to hear about Jesus and to consider who He is.”
Jao says the trend will also be good for churches because they will tend to become more united and better focused. He says the overall effect will be to actually make people think about spiritual things. When they actively think through faith, they will have a better chance of encountering the truth of the gospel. – Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell, “Fewer Cultural Christians in the Future, and That’s a Good Thing,” in 300 Illustrations for Preachers, ed. Elliot Ritzema (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2015).
Do you find this to be accurate? I believe it is somewhat accurate. Ten years have passed since this article, and now we are no longer surrounded, even in the deep South, by “everyone is a Christian,” like we were thirty years ago. Today our churches are surrounded by people who have less and less affiliation with a church, or even with God, for that matter. Covid sped up the process as it rapidly became more acceptable to be unaffiliated and not attending and not returning.
We, as the family of God, are on mission. If you are a Christian, you are called by God to be on it. That is correct . . . you and I are supposed to be on mission. We are called to Christ, to holiness, and to make other disciples as we go through life. How do we know this? By Jesus’ last words before He departed the earth:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” – Matthew 28:19-20
Your saving relationship with Jesus Christ brings a commission … the Great Commission. You are, therefore, a missionary, called into service of the Lord.
Mission: The God-given responsibility of the church and each believer to bring God’s love and the Christian gospel to all people through evangelism, education, and ministry.
You do not have to go to the mission field far away to exercise the call of God. You do not have to be called to be a pastor to exercise the call of God. You must only be faithful to the call of God on your life right where you are.
David Martyn Lloyd-Jones, a Welsh preacher and writer writes, “Christian people are ‘the called of Jesus Christ’. A church, the Church, is nothing but a gathering of ‘the called’. The very term in Greek for Church is ecclesia, which means ‘the called-out ones.’ No matter your background, God loves you and called you.”
Wea are to serve “as we are where we are.” What you do for a living does not alter your calling. We are Christ’s servants, and our first allegiance is to Him. Every job and school situation should be seen as Christian service to the Master. You and I are missionaries right here and right now. We are on earth to serve God and live out our faith before other’s eyes so they may see God, thus giving us the opportunity to share the truth of God’s love.
We are to be faithful in doing this day by day, week by week, and year by year, no matter our situation or condition. No matter how great or how small our circle of influence may be, God will use it and, if we are faithful, he may even expand our circle. He knows our faithfulness.
“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.” – Luke 16:10
This is illustrated in the parable of the talents as Jesus speaks of a servant who was wise and faithful, “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’” – Matthew 25:21
Charles Spurgeon writes, “One of the greatest rewards that we ever receive for serving God is the permission to do still more for Him.”
I want to encourage you to be on mission. Have a daily awareness of the importance of the message. We are God’s children, called to serve him where we are, whether on the job, in the classroom, or in your family. Your circle of influence is different from anyone else. You have a wonderful opportunity to make a difference in your city and beyond. You are on mission!
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