Overcoming the Greatest Threat to Fulfilling the Mission of God

The greatest threat to the Mission of God is not the persecution of the Church but rather the self-preservation of the Church.

In Luke 15 Jesus tells a series of stories that reveal the heart of God. He tells about a sheep that roamed away, a coin that rolled away, and a son who ran away. These stories show us the heart of the Father: He is always working to restore this world that is broken, to upright this world that has fallen over.

It is an unfortunate side effect of chapter divisions that we do not see the connection between Luke 15 and Luke 16. Right after Jesus tells these three powerful stories revealing the Mission of God, he says to his disciples, “There was a steward who was accused of wasting his master’s resources…”

If Luke 15 is about lost sheep, lost coins, and lost sons, Luke 16 is about lost priorities.

The Mission of God is the Central Theme of the Bible; therefore it should be the central focus of the Church.

When you consider that the average church in the United States spends 97% of all its resources on itself you begin to wonder if we are misusing our Master’s money.

I don’t know what the answer is for you; I only know we all must wrestle through “what does it mean for me to fulfill the Mission of God in my life?”

While sending and supporting missionaries is not the only part of fulfilling the Mission of God, it is a vital part. When it comes to missions, we either go or we send and sustain: being neutral is not an option.

As individuals and congregations we all are called to participate in this apostolic assignment. We cannot delegate our obedience to the Great Commission.

When we “lift up our eyes and look” we hear His call to renew our minds, readjust our focus, and realign our resources in the pursuit of the Mission of God.

If the Mission of God is to suffer, let it suffer from opposition, but never let it suffer from neglect.