Let’s face it, the Church in our day has lost its cutting edge of mission—local mission. We’re happy to pay for others to go overseas with our blessing, but we have little zeal for winning our neighbors and community to the Lord. Today’s excerpt from Joy to Your World! is found on pages 35 and 36:
“Many Christians have embraced the idea that salvation is something we are waiting to enjoy once Jesus returns to gather us unto Himself. For now, we are the Lord’s seed in a world overrun by weeds, and only when those weeds are burned away in judgment will we finally be able to bloom and blossom into the joy and Kingdom prepared for us by our Father.
“The curse of sin has taken root far and wide, and the weed field of the world can seem a daunting place.
“Two problems accompany this way of thinking. First, we tend to think there is little we can do to help others know the joy we have in Jesus Christ. We’ve convinced ourselves they aren’t interested, or we aren’t sufficiently persuasive, or sharing the joy of Jesus isn’t really our responsibility. This is why we have pastors, right?
“The other problem is that thinking this way does not line up with Jesus’ instruction to lift up our eyes, and His promise to see that the fields of the world are ripe for the harvest. ‘The harvest is plentiful,’ Jesus insisted (Matt. 9.37).”
For reflection or discussion
1. What about you? Do you see yourself as on a mission for Christ and His Kingdom? In what ways?
2. Do you believe that people you know will be open to receiving the Gospel? Why or why not?
There’s no time like the present to begin recovering the joy of telling others about the joy we have in Jesus. Share today’s podcast with a friend, and talk about the implications of our mission and calling. You can order Joy to Your World! from The Ailbe Bookstore.
T. M. Moore
