Mission

Mission is a big word at the moment and, recently, significant time has been devoted to considering it. I am personally aware of two churches who have been making this the subject of the moment...and as we have been encouraged to all have an opinion by the study we have undertaken I guess you may as well hear mine...or alternatively you can close this page and go and do something else!

I have to say that, for me, making 'mission' a subject is somewhat akin to making grace a subject, it cannot be because grace, and mission, is a person and His name is Jesus.

Mission is Jesus and Jesus is mission.

You know there is one thing that confuses me about the human race and that is our penchant for taking something that is immensely simple and complicating it almost out of existence. That is what I feel we are doing with the subject of mission. We are intellectualising it almost to the point of extinction when embraced as Jesus intended I believe it is the most liberating and purposeful of life's pursuits.

For me it is the only one that really matters. Now please don't misunderstand what I just said for I did not say that 'mission' was the only thing that mattered because that would be glorifying the mission - Christ is the Exalted. The great purpose for my life is to exalt, to glorify, to lift up Jesus...that, for me, is 'mission'. I don't really care for your cleverly crafted interpretations, or your wonderfully designed strategies because the only point is to share the love of Christ.
Now I run the risk, I guess, of being accused of being simple, or something, but frankly I don't care. You can make mission a subject of as many sermons, the theme of as many conferences, the purpose of as many programs and strategies as you like but the bottom line remains. Mission is as simple as receiving Christ. It requires only to believe. It doesn't rely on you to any degree, it is just a response to Him.

If you want to be 'missional' then you must receive Jesus. That is the only strategy you need. If you want scripture then this one will do... 'We love because He first loved us.' Unless you receive His love then your mission sits with you, depends on you and will be frustration, fear and failure. I'm sorry but Jesus is Grace and grace is unmerited favour, favour that is not dependant upon us (Praise the Lord) born out of righteousness which is not ours but His freely given (unmerited favour).

This is the strategy for mission.
Exalt Christ, receive Christ, receive His love, relish His grace, bathe in His grace...He gives more than we can ever contain and so we become an overflow of grace to those we touch,  you can't help it if you receive Him, you can't contain Him, He will spill out of you like a mountain stream in spring-time, a living fountain bubbling up to everlasting life.

Mission accomplished.