Welcome to the PMF Workshop for August 2021. I’m your host, T. M. Moore. Each month we provide teaching, encouragement, activities, and resources to help you in working your Personal Mission Field, so that you can become more consistent and effective in realizing the presence, promise, and power of God’s Kingdom in your daily life.

Today’s Workshop is entitled, “Being Clear about the Mission.” Our text is Matthew 4.17:

From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Your field
“Personal Mission Field” is the terminology we use to indicate that sector of the world where Jesus has sent us as the Father sent Him (Jn. 20.21). Each of us has a Personal Mission Field, and each of us is sent into that field every day, to be and do what Jesus was and did while He was among us.

During His earthly sojourn, Jesus’ burden was to “bring near” the Kingdom of God. His first words of ministry were to declare that the Kingdom of God was “at hand.” The Kingdom was at hand because Jesus had come; and when Jesus left and ascended to heaven, He poured out His Spirit as the beginning of a great heavenly invasion to turn the world rightside-up for God.

That work continues to this day, as we seek the Kingdom by praying, “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6.10).

The Kingdom of God is simply the rule of King Jesus, carried out according to His Word and in the power of the Holy Spirit, to bring righteousness, peace, and joy to the earth. In the gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John – we see Jesus embodying those qualities as He lived, taught, and served the people in His own Personal Mission Field. Wherever He went, Jesus did good to help people in their needs. He revealed the sins of the world and called people to repent and believe the Good News of which He is the Centerpiece. He embodied those attributes and skills, and the kind of ethic and effort that are appropriate for realizing a divine economy. He was an example, a message, and an agent of the grace and truth of God in everything He did.

And He has sent us who believe in Him on this same mission.

Our mission
As disciples of Jesus, we have been given the Kingdom of God (Dan. 7.13, 18; Col. 1.13), and our mission is to embody, proclaim, and do whatever works we can to further this realm of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14.17, 18). Jesus commands us to seek the Kingdom as the defining priority of our lives (Matt. 6.33). Kingdom thinking must come to govern our mind. Desiring the Kingdom must be the great longing of our heart. Valuing the Kingdom will be the defining priority in our conscience. We are called to exemplify the Kingdom. We must learn to proclaim and explain it. And we do those good works that manifest and further the rule of King Jesus into all aspects of life.

This is what it means to seek the Kingdom of God. The followers of Jesus hear Him saying, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.” As we do, everything else in our lives falls happily and appropriately into place.

Your Personal Mission Field is thus a staging-ground where the knowledge of the glory of God can fill your part of the world like the waters cover the sea (Hab. 2.14). We don’t exactly have the Midas touch, so that everything we put our hands to turns to gold; but we should expect that part of the world to which we have been sent, and which is entrusted to us, to evidence the reality of the Kingdom in many ways and a variety of forms.

A mission mindset
So when you think about the mission God has appointed to you, think: the Good News of the Kingdom. Not just of being saved and going to heaven. Not just of having your sins forgiven. And not just of going to church. All these matter, but the Good News of the Kingdom is that a new, all-encompassing, all-transforming reality has come to the world from beyond the world to bring more of thatbeyond world into your everyday world.

And Jesus is doing that glorious work through you and me.

Wherever we go, whomever we’re with, whatever we’re doing, we are ambassadors and agents of the Kingdom of God. We are imbued with holy spiritual power to do good and speak truth in every setting and situation. The more we can keep this in mind, and envision what the coming of the Kingdom will look like in our part of the world, the more our labors will not be in vain in the Lord, and our conversations will bear more fruit for Him.

How can we have such a mindset? And what will that mean for us each day?

Having a mission mindset begins first thing in the morning, in giving yourself as a living sacrifice to the Lord and asking Him to show you His glory in the work you’ve been given to do (Rom. 12.1, 2; Ps. 90.16, 17). Then, as you think about the day ahead, try to envision the people you’ll see and the places you’ll go. You are God’s agent of grace and truth: What will that look like in each case? How can you prepare for the opportunities that are ahead of you for furthering the rule of King Jesus?

Pray before and after every task, meeting, or encounter. Keep yourself close to Jesus in prayer throughout the day, and Jesus will make Himself known to and through you more consistently. Remember: We are ambassadors of Christ (2 Cor. 5.20). We represent Him all the time in all we do. The more we pray for the Kingdom to come in our lives and mission fields, the more we will develop that Kingdom mindset that sees our mission clearly and pursues it diligently in everything we do.

…

To help you in nurturing that mission mindset, here are some activities you can put into daily practice during the coming month:

1. Make sure you have mapped out your Personal Mission Field. And if you have, make sure it’s current, and that you are regularly praying for the people you have identified as being in your Personal Mission Field. Pray for some people and some sector of your Personal Mission Field every day, making sure you cover all of it every month.
2. Find someone to pray with you and for you. Share your Personal Mission Field map with a friend, and ask your friend to pray for you at least once a week. To get your friend started praying, have them pray that you will become more mission-minded in your daily life. Then explain that concept.
3. During the month, try to contact each person in your Personal Mission Field. Ask the Lord to give you a word of affirmation or encouragement, or a question to ask to get to know the people or their needs. Set a goal to reach a few people each week until you have contacted everyone at least once. Greet, text, email, or otherwise get in touch. Let God’s grace flow through your words (Eph. 4.29).
4. Give a copy of Joy to Your World! to a Christian friend (order several, they’re free by clicking here), then follow-up to discuss.
5. Finally, while you’re at the bookstore, order a free copy of The Kingdom Turn (click here). This book will help you better understand and adopt a Kingdom mindset for every aspect of your life.
   
   

That’s it for this month’s Personal Mission Field Workshop. Share your stories and ideas, or send me your questions at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Until next month, for the Fellowship of Ailbe, and for the Personal Mission Field Workshop, this has been T. M. Moore.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.