Life on Mission Shembull

The Heart, Not the Address

In Luke 24, Jesus is sending His disciples to the nations. But I want you to understand where the disciples’ power came from. When we get to know God’s heart and His love for the nations, and we begin to understand that our identity is first in Him, we begin to grow a heart for missions. Our hearts want to spread the love of God. The awesome part of this is that we are not alone. God gives us His Holy Spirit to help us complete this mission. The Holy Spirit is where the power comes from. 

I encourage you to read Acts 2 to understand the Pentecost. God did not want us to do this life with our own power. His desire was that we do it through His power. Through His Spirit, we are transformed and begin to love as He does. When the Spirit of God lives in a believer, he or she automatically becomes a missionary. Can I give you a synonym for the word “missionary?” Christian. If you are a Christian, you are a missionary. Being a missionary does not mean you have to live on the other side of the world preaching the gospel. A believer is a missionary. A life on mission is about your heart, not your address. 

Whether you are a student or an adult, you have a weekly routine. If you are a student, you will be in school; if you are an adult, you are going to work. Does living a daily routine mean you are a colossal Christian failure? You see, in the past days, we have discussed the nations and mission field. Yet, you wake up in your city and continue to go about your daily routine. Is that a Christian failure, or is that you going to your mission field? If a life on mission is about the address, then your life is a failure. If it is about going to your nice office only to make money to keep your lifestyle going, then I would consider it a failure. But if your life on mission is about the heart, it’s not a failure. Whether you are a doctor, a teacher, in retail, or waiting tables, consider your workplace your ministry spot. I could say the same thing about me being a pastor. There are a lot of cities I could go to and be a pastor, right? But God is using me here to make a difference where He has placed me. 

Listen to the Spirit and where He is guiding you to complete the mission Christ created you for. You may be called to go to a different country, or you may be called to reach people in your workplace. Through the Holy Spirit, you have the power to make a difference in the places God put you in. That is your mission field.