Living On Mission
Written By: Frieda Dowler
A famous quote reads, “The two most important days of your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why.” – Mark Twain
I like that quote, but I would add one word to read, “The two most important days of your life are the day you were born again and the day you find out why.” – Frieda Dowler
Within all of us is the longing to know our purpose. God gave us reason at creation for existing in this world. We find our original purpose in Genesis. God made us to take care of his created earth. His charge was to prosper, reproduce, fill the earth, and take charge. Be responsible for everything on the earth. So we did. And then a new kingdom was introduced on earth.
God himself, as Jesus, came to tell us about this new kingdom. God’s kingdom had come to earth. And with that message comes a new purpose.
When we are born again, it means to believe in God’s kingdom and its principles while we are on earth. We are spiritually born into another dimension with additional purpose. With feet in both worlds, it’s sometimes confusing what our purpose is. And often we find we must be loyal to one world or the other. But God created us to exist simultaneously in both worlds with purposes in each.
According to man’s original purpose, we are to be good citizens and to keep things going while on earth. We take jobs, pay taxes (even Jesus told us to pay our taxes in Matthew), contribute to the systems this world imposes upon us, and reproduce to keep the world going. We are to take charge and be responsible for the things God entrusts us with, including simple things like mowing the lawn. Because of us, the world stays orderly and keeps going until Jesus returns to set up his physical kingdom as promised in the book of Revelation.
But we find our spiritual purpose in Jesus’ last words he spoke on earth,
“Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Mat.28 19-20. NLT.
This command is to all disciples of Jesus’s teachings. So when we are born again, we’re responsible for spreading the message of God’s kingdom on earth. This mandate has to do with expressing God’s kingdom through behavior, as well as with words. It’s an avocation, not necessarily a vocation. A vocation is what we do for our jobs. Some enter full-time ministry to fulfill this command. But those who don’t sometimes struggle with how to fulfill their spiritual purpose. That’s when avocation enters.
Avocation means a side occupation. Or a calling away from one’s primary work, whereas a vocation is a calling to a specific path or profession. That means no matter what we do, we are
to fulfill Jesus’ command to express his kingdom on earth. We are to exude (definition: to ooze or spread out in all directions) the fruit of God’s spirit through our behavior and our words. We should show love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
“Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.” Gal. 5:25 NLT.
If you are struggling to express God’s spirit in your circumstances, I might suggest starting at Victory with your church family. For example, a simple way to begin is with a smile or introduction to someone you don’t know, before, during, or after the church service. That simple act implies kindness. Anyone who comes through our doors for the first time feels uncomfortable. A kind thing to do is welcome them and make them feel comfortable. It’s easy to only connect with people we know, but learning to express Christ-like behavior can be as simple as noticing new faces and welcoming them to learn more about their spiritual life.
Victory church is a place where we can practice Christ-like behavior. As we do, we gain confidence so we are ready to express it to the world. Our behavior can be contagious, and maybe it’s a stretch, but it’s spreading good will on the earth in God’s way, thereby combating the evil that exists.
I suggest we look for opportunities to be on-mission with Jesus’s command. All believers have the avocation of spreading the gospel and good news of God’s kingdom. Our world needs the message Jesus offers more now than ever. We don’t all have to become missionaries in foreign lands to be effective for spreading this good news. We can do it right where we are.