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Three Big Ideas are dominating my thinking these days:

1. The Mission of God is the central theme of the Bible; therefore it should be the central focus of the Church. (Click HERE to read more.)
2. The greatest threat to the Mission of God is not the persecution of the Church but rather the self-preservation of the Church. (Click HERE to read more.)
3. The Church thrives when she gives herself to fulfilling the Mission of God.

A few days ago I was talking with a Ukrainian pastor who not only believes these statements, he actually lives them.

Pastor Valera said to me, “Jesus told us to reach the lost and make disciples. We need to cancel everything in the church that does not contribute to reaching people and making disciples.”

I thought, “That seems a little extreme…”

But since then his words haunt me. His fruit convicts me. Over the last 20 years his church has planted 15 other churches, including churches in other nations.

The church in the West is in crisis. We are on life-support and scarcely know it.

Don’t get me wrong: The global church of Jesus Christ is alive and well. (Philip Jenkins writes a lot about this in The Next Christendom.)

The question is, “Will we be part of it?”

Or

Will we accept irrelevance as our fate, like some tired old man too secure in his comforts to notice or too weary in mind and body to care? Will we remain bloated and content with memories of grander yesterdays?

Or

Will we shake ourselves from this slumber and renew our strength like eagles?

Will we lift up our eyes and look to see that the harvest plentiful?

For the church in the West to regain a place in the center of the Mission of God we must return to at least four priorities:

1. Return to our first love (see Revelation 2:4).
2. Return to a pure and undefiled religion.

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. (James 1:27, ESV)

Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.

Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.

And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in. (Isaiah 58:6–12, ESV)

3. Return to His Word and Spirit.

There is still power in the name of Jesus. The Word of God has not lost any of its potency. The Holy Spirit is still here empowering, filling, and transforming lives. Let us return again to the fountain of living water.

My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.” (Jeremiah 2:13, ESV)

4. Return to His Mission to Reach the Nations.

The church cannot spend 97% of all its resources on itself and expect to thrive. We can do better than this. We must do better than this.

We will not experience spiritual renewal without financial reform.

The call to global missions requires more than generosity, it requires sacrifice. And this call to sacrifice is not limited to missionaries: The whole church is called to fulfill of the Mission of God, and is equally called to be a living sacrifice for the fulfillment of the Mission of God.

The Mission of God is too grand for small living, shallow thinking, and timid action. You are called to a great adventure. Let the journey begin.

Here are a few articles that can help you apply this in your life:

• 7 Minutes to Change the World.
• 5 Ways Your Church Can Be Relevant to Global Missions Regardless of Size or Location.
• I Know You Love Missions. Now, Show Me The Money.
• Why does that stuff happen on the mission field and never here at home?

Let’s stay connected on Facebook and Twitter. Don’t forget to subscribe to my podcast in iTunes, or in Stitcher so you don’t miss an episode! 

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 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.

Let’s stay connected on Facebook and Twitter. Don’t forget to subscribe to my podcast in iTunes, or in Stitcher so you don’t miss an episode!