On Mission
posted by Navigators on October 20th, 2025 in Missions
A three-part piece by June Sparks
The God of Mission
It is hard to separate God from His mission. God’s mission in the world and history is to reveal Himself. He has entered the world through Christ, bringing reconciliation between humankind and Himself. When we look at it, we see the focus on us.
God’s focus is actually on Himself. He is eternally living out His true character. The awesome reality is that God is good. God is love. He’s holy, righteous, just – and that’s only a start!
What’s amazing is that He has chosen us to display His glory. Although completely self-sufficient, He chooses relationship; though perfectly righteous and holy, He chooses to justify sinful people. Although He is worthy of all glory and praise, He chose to take on human flesh, humbling Himself to become one of us. And He calls us into a perfect, forever relationship of holiness, goodness, and love with Him.
Verses to ponder: Hebrews 13:8, Ephesians 1:9-13, Romans 11:33-36.
The Mission of God
God’s mission in the world is to reveal himself. He created humanity in His image and it was very good. His image in humans has been marred by sin yet he chooses to justify sinful people, calling us into relationship with Him.
The focal point of God’s mission is redemptive. Photo: Romolo Tavani, CanvaPro.
In the Bible – His story, written in history – God is on mission. He works through real people, in real times, always pointing either backwards or forwards from the work of Christ on the cross.
The focal point of His mission is redemption, foreshadowed through the Exodus and Moses. We see it over and over through individuals, leaders, kings, and the nation of Israel, finally climaxing in the life death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ. But the mission doesn’t stop there, it continues through Jesus’ followers, empowered by His Spirit. Think of Peter, Paul, Stephen, Priscila and Aquila. Look at the Hall of Faith we find in Hebrews.
Have you ever considered the chain of people on mission with God leading to your own salvation? Have you taken up God’s mission?
Passages and people to ponder: Genesis 1:26,27; Moses: Exodus 14,15; Peter: Acts 2,4; Stephen: Acts 7; Paul: Acts 13; Romans 9; Hebrews 11-12:3
God’s People on God’s Mission
So far we’ve looked at The God of Mission and The Mission of God. We saw that God’s mission is to reveal Himself in all the fullness of His character, and it’s HIS mission, it’s about HIS worth and glory. Amazingly, His mission also includes us. He calls us, a marred, sinful people, into relationship with Him by Christ’s death and resurrection for the world. He also calls us into partnership with Him in the world.
Go and tell. Photo: Evan Wise, Unsplash.
Jesus’ message in the gospels began with the invitation to come and see, and ended with the commission to go and tell. We are all in this mission together. Paul describes it well in Philippians 2:1-4. Being united with Christ we are encouraged to be unified in the purpose of God, not for our own sake but for the sake of others. In Colossians he reminds us that Christ is in us completing the mission of God in and through us. In Colossians 1:28 he shares the full purpose of the gospel – to present everyone perfect in Christ.
It is our prayer that within the Navigators everyone follows Christ as He reveals His will and the work He has for them, whether in the narrow sphere of the home or as broadly as in another culture, language, or nation. We would love to help you with that journey.
Passages to ponder: Philippians 1:3-6, 2:1-5 Colossians 1:24-28