Everyday Mission
The Great Commission can be daunting whenever we grasp the size of the task:
“Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
“All nations”–that means all peoples everywhere! “Teaching them to observe everything”–that means making holistic disciples of Jesus who follow him in all of life. Go to the website of any missions agency and you will see staggering statistics regarding unreached people groups. Dive into recent surveys of what professing Christians actually believe and you might be even more discouraged about the state of discipleship here in the United States.
This reality, coupled with Jesus’ command to make disciples of all nations, can easily make the Great Commission the Great Burden. In effort to stir members towards mission, church leaders can tie up heavy loads on their people’s shoulders and never lift a finger to help. But missional legalism is still legalism.
Functional belief that the success of God’s mission hinges on our efforts is equivalent to thinking that our sanctification and glorification hinges on our own righteousness. If the command to make disciples is taken out of context and separated from Jesus’ universal authority and empowering presence, we will always be lamenting our lack of resources, ability, and results.
So what should we be doing? How do we get started? How does the mission of God come to bear on our everyday lives? Jesus is the one who does the heavy lifting in the Great Commission, so consider this post as your pastor lifting his finger and doodling a starting point for living a more intentional and missional life.
Intersection Not Addition
The vast majority of wisdom that I share is borrowed, and I first heard the phrase “intersection not addition” from Dhati Lewis, the pastor of Blueprint Church in Atlanta. Most of us do not need to add things to our schedule. Rather, we must begin doing the things we already do in places and with people who do not know Jesus.
We all eat. Could you eat just one meal per week with an unbeliever or eat in a place where a conversation with an unbeliever would be likely? What are your hobbies? Engage in those hobbies alongside unbelievers. Take regular walks in the same neighborhoods and parks. The Lafitte Greenway and Treme Recreation Community Center offer free fitness classes, gym, and a pool for lap swimming.
Become a regular. Go to the same coffee shop, grocery store, and gas station for the next year. Find a local barbershop. By the very nature of their job, the person cutting your hair is forced to chat with you for fifteen to twenty minutes every few weeks or months. Whenever people start recalling your name and your order before you open your mouth, you will know that you are headed in the same direction.
New Orleans is a “front porch” city, and if you demonstrate the spiritual gift of showing up, people will share their story with you! Once you know names and faces, ask questions and listen. Soon enough, people will be asking to hear your own story, and there is no better time to share how the good news of Jesus graciously interrupted your life.
Sustainable Sacrifice
Do not mishear my first bit of advice as, “Being missional won’t be costly.” Jesus calls anyone who wants to follow him to “deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23), and few things are more costly than intentionally intertwining our lives with unbelievers. If you give your life to criss-crossing the paths of lost sheep, you will be interrupted, inconvenienced, and put out of sorts on a regular basis. You will sacrifice your time, talent, and treasure with the real possibility of never seeing the fruit of your efforts.
Being a Christian means living a life of sustainable sacrifice (To give credit where credit is due, I heard this counsel from Kameron Pugh through Matthew Delaughter). It means asking yourself, “What meaningful ministry can I give myself to for the next year? Five years? Thirty years?” When we are awakened to the great need in our own backyard and around the world, we can set unrealistic expectations in a desire to live radically for Jesus. Fireworks are loud and pretty, but they sputter out quickly. Realistically speaking, you probably won’t change the world, but you can do something.
Christians should, to borrow from William Carey, plod along faithfully. In a viral world, we need our vision of kingdom impact to be redefined. You won’t end fatherlessness in New Orleans–the biblical commands to care for widows and orphans assume they will always exist on this side of heaven, but you can mentor a kid at a local school for one hour per week. You might not bring sweeping cultural change to the metro area, but you can change the tone of your block or apartment hall through hospitality and love of neighbor. Your church might not be the next big thing in evangelicalism, but you can be a faithful member for fifty years and pass along the baton to others when the time comes.
Why It Matters
Here’s the truly good news though. Jesus is risen, and New Orleans is not a lost cause. The Crescent City is not out of his jurisdiction. In fact, he is preparing a pure and spotless Bride within her at this moment. Revival is not beyond the power of his Spirit. God could be laying the groundwork for something beyond our imagination through the unseen labors of faithful churches. That revival might be waiting right around the corner, or it might be 200 years from now. In the meantime, we have realistic and sacrificial lives to live.
