Incentives to becoming a Christian dedicated to your mission.

We read in Mark 10:27:

“Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.”

As a Christian, our lives should be simple right?  All we need to do is the will of our Father, seems simple.  Well yes, it should be you would think, but we are mere humans encased in this fleshly body and unbeknownst to us, we have to battle our flesh daily.  Our flesh is like a sin suit wanting us to do everything we want to do and against what God wants us to do.  We are surrounded by this fleshly suit listening to it demand its wants, its lusts, and its needs.  It craves worldliness, it tells us fear is real, it tells us there is no way out, and it craves sin.  Living in this flesh suit is a continual battle for the Christian for the Bible says in Romans 8:12-16:

“12 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. 13 For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” 16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.”

You see as a missionary, a family pastor, I’ve come to learn that I must die to my flesh daily, that is to my fleshly desires and allow my spirit person, the Holy Spirit, to direct my path.  I must completely rely on God for direction in my life.  I do this from the moment I wake until the moment I go to sleep.  I keep my mind fixed on Him, on things that please Him and He directs my path.  Throughout my life my family and I are told by God to go here, to go there, and we do it.  We sojourn around sometimes landing for a year, sometimes 3-5 it all depends on the mission, but mind you, we do go when He calls.

The Lord has given me a vision to build a Christian Camp for children and youth.  I don’t know when that door will open, but I will keep listening to Him and doing what He wants until finally one day that door opens and the vision will flourish into existence. Our scripture verse Mark 10:27 is alive and ringing in my ears every impossibility with men is possible with God.  For this is the scripture I lean on for this dream awaiting the hand of God to reach down from the heavens and hand me the land.  This year we were called to a new town, we have made the best of every opportunity while we were here.  The Bible says in Ephesians 5:16-17:

“16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.”

This is our motto wherever we land, what is it you wish us to do Lord?  We land, we plant seeds, encourage, lift up, and rebuke whatever needs to be done we do.  We have been called to move on.  It has been confirmed within the family, God has spoken to all of us, my wife and children included.

So in front of us is a seemingly impossible situation.  At least to some, living off their flesh, but I serve a bigger God than that.  I serve a God who can make a way out of no way.  I serve a God who can do the possible out of the impossible.  I serve a God who has a family of Holy Spirit filled Christians, who as one body all work together for the good, fighting a common enemy.  So am I worried?  Absolutely not.  Is it a battle sometimes not to worry?  Absolutely yes, that’s where staying, grounded in your Word helps tremendously.  Do we know where we are moving in the next 2 months?  No, but I can rest assured of this, that in the infallible Word of God are truths and promises made to us, the children of God.  In Mark 10:27 “that which seems impossible to me are possible to God” and this is my assurance that God is with us.  If He is sending us, He will provide and make a way.  I truly believe God has already called on His family and is preparing the way or He might already have it all planned out, I guess we will see.

If God has ordained my mission then He has orchestrated all my plans and it is finished,  I, on the other hand, need to be obedient and be lead by the Holy Spirit.  I will just keep in steady prayer, stay in His Word, walk in His wisdom, and watch the impossible be made possible. 

We read in Mark 10:29-30: 29 “‘Yes,’ Jesus replied, ‘and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, 30 will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property—along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life.’”

Our missionary prescription is our life.  We live, eat, and drink it.  We discover that even the painful side effects of life work to improve our conditions because God takes us through them effortlessly.  He takes our burden and lightens them.  We also see Him move many mountains for us.  He opens and closes doors, He provides, He shows up in the eleventh hour and sometimes 5 ’til 12.  He blesses us with spiritual health, He is the giver of our joy, and when we die we actually don’t die we are born into eternal life.

The Missionary family’s call – to do the will of God, who has called them according to His purpose, to fulfill His plan in their lives, to go where He sends you, and to answer the call no matter where, when, or what time.  Hearing from God requires listening, if you fill your life with busyness, constant action, running, and noise you will not hear the call.  If your focus is on life goals, career, success, money, and or materials you will also miss the call.

Is God calling you?  The Bible says that many are called and few are chosen, keyword here is many.  God does try and reach many, but as we read on only a few are chosen.  Be the few, have you ever felt God calling you?  Have you felt a tug on your heartstrings? Ministry all starts with a call and I’m here to tell you to answer it, now is the time.  Sometimes we wait, we put the call on hold because we are busy with life, but you’ll always be busy with life.  Satan’s job is to keep the called Christian busy so they just don’t have time to do His will.  What we need to do is prioritize our life, start with what’s most important, down to least important.  When we are making this list of life choices based on their priority, let’s try and line them up according to God’s importance and let’s have a new outlook on life, an outlook that sees people and let’s love them with the love of God and lead them to our Savior Jesus Christ.