Mission Mosaic

Posted By Michael Breznau on Apr 16, 2016

God’s message of love is the message of the Cross. I once heard Pastor R. Kent Hughes say, “The cross of Christ is the divinely inspired diagram of God’s love.” Let’s pause for a moment to let these words soak into our souls:

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” – 1 John 4:10

God the Son, Jesus Christ, died the death we deserved to free us from sin and give us new, eternal life in Him. Yet this shocking, heart-saving, soul-healing love is not only a message for people like you and me, but also for men and women from every corner across the tapestry of God’s world. Let’s hit the brakes for a minute and pour over these anthem-like words:

“And they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.” – Revelation 5:9-10

God the Son’s death paid the full price for our sin and is fully effective to erase sin’s price-tag for all who trust in Him for rescue… men, women, and children from each patch on this globe.

But here’s the crux of the challenge for us: All who have received God’s love in the Son are commissioned as His people to march forward with His love.

Our orders are to go into all of God’s world with the good news about His love proclaiming: “Jesus saves!” Contrary to popular assumptions, God’s mission is not just for select professionals who hold the title “missionary” or “pastor.” Every member of God’s family is called to work, think, talk, and serve as a sent soldier on God’s mission.

Furthermore, God’s love compels us to go with His love to all the people groups of God’s World… both globally and locally. Our God is not a mono-lingual, mono-ethnic, mono-culture deity, but the Creator who has beautifully woven people from every background together into the one family of God in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:11-22). Just as the first-century church was multi-cultural (Jew, Gentile, slave, free, rich, poor, etc.) so God’s design for His church today is unity within our diversity, only possible through God-empowered humility and love.

Think about it: How do these truths run against the grain of our culture or creature comforts? What about God’s mission and an intentionally multi-ethnic local church seems most difficult or uncomfortable to you? How should the power of the Gospel inform and transform your thinking about these truths? How is God directing you to live on His mission today?