What is unimportant about Christian missions? It’s all important, right? This UN-mission series has noted the unseen and the unknown among other ‘UN’ factors. But you may be surprised to learn there is a mission component that is both essential and unimportant! Sound like an oxymoron?
Mission: Unimportant
How many important factors make up Christian missions can find on this page? It’s fairly easy to list them. In no particular order, a list would include:
- Prayer
- Dedication
- Obedience
- Service
- Planning
- Fundraising
- Training
And don’t forget the need for mission volunteers. Why? God’s mission is people; God’s method is people! Whatever our task, we are reaching out to, and ministering to, people. And it takes people to reach people So volunteers who are obedient, prayerful and dedicated (see that list!) are an indispensable element of missions. So how can volunteers be that essential while simultaneously being unimportant?
It has been a joy to work with my wife, family, friends, and church members on missions in many places. And that work has now spanned quite a few years! And I learned something early on in my missions journey. I saw it last week with our team in Samana. It was true of many mission endeavors in Europe, East Africa, Australia, and Central America. Here it is:
God was at work!
You were expecting something that sounded earth shaking? It’s so simple we overlook the profound nature of the statement. God’s work in the world is summed up in Revelation 7:9 –
God is drawing people to Himself from every nation, tribe, and tongue.
I would never underestimate the importance of the people God uses for His purposes. His sovereign choice is to include us. That’s our great blessing. So what part is not important? Are you ready?
My name
The obvious factor in missions is God. It’s all about Him and never about His tools. Does it matter if the world knows the names of the people He includes? Not one bit. He sees, He knows, and He rewards. We must decrease and He must increase!
Unnecessary UN-word
And I can’t leave this out. The most un-needed word for Kingdom missions is: un-involved! Think about it!!!
Soli Deo Gloria!
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