God’s Mission Is Bigger Than Mine
A pastor and church planter describes the joy of sharing the ministry of reconciliation with neighbors in Winston-Salem, N.C.
God is the main agent of mission.
What does it mean to believe this? It means a lot. Understanding this truth, with help from the Holy Spirit’s revelation, brings rest to all of us who are working toward God’s mission.
It allows us to trust that God will fulfill his promise to be with us while we carry out the Great Commission. It brings peace to our lives because it places us in the mission rather than over it, understanding that its main agent is the Holy Spirit who reveals, teaches, and directs us in the task, taking the lead and showing us how to be ambassadors of Christ in the world.
This reality, of God leading our mission, is a theme throughout the story of the Bible. After Adam and Eve sinned, God announced his plan for redemption, prophesying that from the seed of the woman would come the one who would crush the head of Satan. For this, he preserved humanity through Noah, then he raised Abraham to ratify the prophecy that from his seed would come the Savior and Liberator of the world, Jesus Christ.
And Christ, who took away the authority of the spirit of death with his own death and resurrection, is now the head of the church he sent to announce the message of the kingdom of God until he returns for us.
Women enjoy a time of fellowship at Iglesia Renuevo, Winston-Salem, N.C.
A Multiplying Movement
“Since the Lord first reconciled us to himself, he has entrusted us with the ministry of reconciliation. We are given a joy to share rather than a burden to carry. That joy goes with us as we in turn call others to repentance, so that they too may be reconciled to God.”
—JUAN JOSÉ LAGOS
God’s mission is bigger than mine. That allows me to join his story and his mission rather than carrying the burden of accomplishing it all on my own strength. This is how we must see ourselves as we follow the call of God our Father who reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ. He has entrusted us with the ministry of reconciliation, sending us as ambassadors of Christ. But it is Christ who leads us in that very ministry.
Since the Lord did it first through us, we are given a joy to share rather than a burden to carry. That joy goes with us as we in turn call others to repentance so that they too may be reconciled with the Father through Christ. That is why we understand that God’s mission is not only bigger than ours, but that it is ours. We are participating as instruments of God to carry out his own mission for the salvation of all.
Juan José and his wife Cecilia are church planters and pastors of Iglesia Cristiana Renuevo in Winston-Salem, N.C., partnering with the Tennessee/Carolina/Kentucky District of Virginia Mennonite Conference.