I Can Be the Problem

What is your mission? What’s the mission of your community or city team?**

During an exciting season of my life, I was experiencing remarkable ministry and mission successes. Many around me lifted me up as a great leader, and secretly I liked the admiration. But not everything was fine.

Through the honest conversations and admonition of a friend, I became aware that I was moving in the wrong direction. My mission had become about me, not God.

Every leader faces this at some point in their life.

I've had to realign my mission with God’s – to love Him, love my neighbors and those I serve, and to fulfill the Great Commission.

The most important lesson for me was realizing the mission wasn't about me as the leader. That sounds obvious, but in many cultures, believers lift up leaders and expect them to provide the mission. There is a subtle point here. It helps no one if a team follows a leader’s mission blindly. Instead, it’s God’s way for teams to follow God’s mission alongside the leader.

The Lord gave us the Great Commission as the mission. I am in submission to Him and the mission. The team's purpose isn't to make you or me as leaders happy or to serve us. The body of Christ often likes to lift up leaders, which means you may often have to soberly remind those around you to whom you are in submission.

We can easily be influenced to think the mission is simply our church, denomination, or agency. We need wise friends to remind us when we lose focus.

Scripture to ponder – Matthew 28:19-20

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.

Key Lesson: The more gifts and talents the Spirit of God gives you the more you need to protect yourself from believing you are special. The mission is to keep our eyes on Jesus and His mission!