The Mission Field

It is somewhat ironic that we, and many other churches, are sending teams to what we call "the mission field."  I am not downplaying the need to go, the motivation to make a difference, or the desire to spread God's Word to every person on the planet.  These are good things that we should do.  They should be a part of who we are.

Here's the ironic thing.  As we "tell the story to the nations," I can't help but have a heart for telling the story here.  This is why we have started the Wednesday evening discipleship group.  We want to become a church that makes disciples that make disciples.  In this country, our "business as usual" churches are not gaining ground in spreading the Gospel.  We are losing ground.  I want US to be a catalyst in changing that.

So, as I board a plane on Saturday, bound for Belize, I am asking each of you to do several things:

1. The first thing, and really, an easy thing, is to pray for our church to become a place of discipleship and disciple-making.

2. I am asking, I think by direct command of Jesus (Matthew 28), for you (yes YOU) to become a person willing to learn about disciple-making.  I will be doing some things during the late summer and fall to make this easier for you, providing materials, instructional support, and place (hopefully some of you will be agents of providing this place).

3. I am asking you to change your priorities.  I get lots of pictures of many of you cruising the lake, hanging out on the beach, and being in your prime place of "fun."  Others of you, thankfully, are posting about your activities and priorities related to our body of believers.  For our country to change, YOU and I have to change.

4. I am asking you to reconsider our "context" of a rural Alabama community as being a Christian bastion.  Until our churches become filled ... until our hurting are healed ... until our relationships become more important than our feelings ... until the Kingdom of God becomes more important than our politics ... until we seek for the Kingdom to "come on earth as it is in heaven," then we will live in the shallow end of the faith pool.  I invite you to come to the deep and dangerous end, where you might have to lose yourself for the Kingdom of God.

As you leave your house tomorrow, remember you are entering a mission field, every bit as needy as those in Africa, Belize, and Costa Rica.  I hope you will pray and respond to God's call, saying, "Here I am, Lord, send me!"