Have you been drawn into God’s mission? Why? Can I share with you why I’m on mission – because I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s the same for you?
To explain, let me ask this: What do you think of the idea, the dream, of heaven on earth? It’s something we pray for every time we pray “…Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
Imagine with me what heaven coming to earth would be like. When heaven comes to earth, fear and anxiety take flight. When heaven comes to earth, people are valued because God values them. When heaven comes to earth children are cared for and protected; they receive lavish love because Jesus said, “Let the children come to me.” When heaven comes to earth, needs are met, forgiveness reigns, people love across differences, grace overcomes every divide, and money and power are used in ways that bring joy, meeting needs and always, always honoring God. When heaven comes to earth, no one drinks to forget, no one takes drugs to escape, no one takes their own life. When heaven comes to earth, no one beats up helpless people and posts it on the internet. There’s no corona, no cancer, and no one saying, “how tragic.” There is no despair, no cruelty, and no abuse of power. There is no hunger, no sweat shops, no human trafficking, no injustice of any kind. When heaven comes to earth families are sustained and supported, people find welcome, abundance, and the relentless practice of kindness. Generations meet at a common table, virtue is passed on, understood, appreciated, and celebrated. When heaven comes to earth, people thrive. Courage, hope, faith, love, and joy characterize each day. No one suffers alone. No one cries alone. No one dies alone. No one ever, ever loses faith, gives up, or fails to love – because heaven has come to earth
I know that some people are on mission to get people to heaven when they leave earth. Believe in Jesus and go to heaven when you die. But if we limit mission to that, we miss the beauty of the vision of what we pray for ever time we pray the Lord’s prayer. And we forget that heaven coming to earth looks a lot like the life of Jesus!
John 3:16 tells us God loves the world. Jesus said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” He is at work remaking this messed up sin-filled world. And into that mission, he invites you! Do you hear his invitation in your heart? Do you think God may be inviting you into his mission?
It’s so much bigger than any of us! So Jesus invites us to pray, and to ask for God’s kingdom to come, for God’s will to be done, on earth as it is in heaven. In doing so, he supernaturally invites us into the mission of bringing that about. He invites us to pray so God can do what he needs to do in each of us so that the world becomes a different place. Mission, heaven coming to earth, starts in us.
At LoveFirst Coast, we know staying on mission is hard. It’s harder when you feel like you are doing it alone. But we believe God has invited you into it and we want to do what we can to help you stay in the game? If you know what I’m talking about (and even if you don’t), there’s a space we are creating every other Monday to help.
This Monday night, May 25 from 7:00 – 8:30, we’ll focus on remembering why we dare to do this life on mission. Come and be equipped, encouraged, and prayed for!
LoveFirst Coast 