From Grant to You – All about Mission
God is a missionary God. He is a sending God. The Father sent the Son to earth to bring His people into a right relationship with Him. And the Son went. As the Father sent Jesus, so Jesus sends His disciples into the world to share the good news of the gospel with every nation (John 17:18).
God is … a sending God.
The book of Acts is essentially the story of Acts 1:8 being lived out: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” We see thousands coming to faith at Pentecost and afterwards being scattered under persecution that follows Stephen’s martyrdom in chapter 7, Paul converted and given a specific commission by Jesus to go to the gentiles (literally the ethnos, nations, in the Greek), and Paul goes on four missionary journeys to Syria, Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, Crete, Malta and Italy, finishing in Rome – the capital of the Roman Empire.
God is calling you to go. The question is: is that across the street, across the room at work, or across the ocean?
The Navigators calling to advance the gospel of Jesus and His kingdom into the nations through spiritual generations of labourers living and discipling among the lost is the way that we endeavour to play our part in the grand plans of God. Reflect prayerfully on the Great Commission in Matthew 28:16-20. God is calling you to go. The question is: is that across the street, across the room at work, or across the ocean? As you pray, let God’s purposes and promises possess you to make your God-intended contribution on earth.
Mission is on the very heart of God. Is mission on your heart?
Featured image: “Missions”. Photo by Alex Shute on Unsplash. Collage: Different calls to mission: Image designed using CanvaPro.
God Behind the Scenes
By Luke Midena, Canberra Labouring Community
Connecting with people during COVID-19 restrictions can be a challenge, but I wanted to share with you a story about Ethan, who I meet with online.
Ethan and I started meeting a few years ago, about the time he finished high school. Although he came from a strong Christian family, he wasn’t convinced about Jesus. Nor was he into ‘self-help’ strategies to improve his life.
Fast-forward a few years and Ethan is literally ‘a new creation’ – everything from his attitudes, priorities, passions, and whole life direction have been turned upside down. In a very short time, he’s gone from unbeliever to now training to be a missionary pilot with a Christian aviation organisation!
I genuinely wonder, how on earth did this happen?
- Was it the conversations we had on every imaginable topic while walking up hills or playing pool at the Irish club?
- Was it the time we spent reading and discussing the gospel of Matthew?
- Was it that he connected with a church and recognised the genuine goodness in the people as evidence of God’s influence?
- Maybe it was the many people who have prayed for Ethan over the years and the spiritual seeds planted in his life?
Even though I was in the vicinity of Ethan when this change occurred, I didn’t see it. The evidence of Ethan’s new life is obvious, but I couldn’t begin to explain how God did it.
It’s just like Jesus said:
‘The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come’ (Mk. 4:26-29).
Isn’t it both wonderful, and also a little bit frustrating? Watching God bring someone from spiritual death to life is nothing short of breathtaking, but since I can’t even begin to know how he does it, I can’t bottle or control it. Everyone can see that Ethan was changed by God’s power, but that power remains mysterious and beyond our grasp.
‘The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit’ (Jn. 3:8).
Even in a world distracted by many other things, God continues his unnoticed work of adopting children into his family!
Ethan and I have been meeting online while he completes pilot training.
Please pray:
- that Ethan’s experience would be mirrored by many people in his life through his work as a missionary pilot.
- for the Canberra university ministries (ADFA and ANU) as they work hard at connecting with new students. (Social restrictions have made recruiting challenging over the last 2 years).
- that God would continue to use our campus ministries to train and develop labourers for his kingdom.
Thanks again for your investment in guys like Ethan, through your prayer and giving.
