Church On Mission - Going! Series

I have recently been reading a book called, The Sound of Life's Unspeakable Beauty written by a master violin maker - “a luthier.” The author described all that is involved in making a beautiful instrument visually and acoustically. He drew an analogy of the crafting of a violin to the Lord intricately working in every part of our lives and why and what He does to bring out the beauty and purpose in our lives.

When I read this it deepened my understanding of why every part of this instrument made from different types of wood and materials (seen and unseen) are important to bring out the beautiful tones of this instrument as a whole. It also made me appreciate all the painstaking work, care, and patience the master craftsman puts into this instrument for the joy of others.

Why am I sharing this? Because when we come to know the Master Creator and take time to understand what His purpose is for us as individuals and as a church, He will show us why our part (whether seen or unseen) is so important for those in the church and for those around us.

Just like the violin was not made to sit on a shelf and collect dust, the church was not created to be inward-focused and static. We were not created to just come to church to hear the Bible and then go back home or to work and leave our God-given gifts and talents on the shelf. We come together for teaching, fellowship, prayer and to be prepared and equipped for our calling.

This past Thursday we just celebrated Christ’s ascension here in Austria. What was one of the last things Jesus said to his disciples before He ascended? He commissioned His disciples, us, to be “a people and church on mission”- as we are going we are growing, giving and loving people beyond these four walls. In fact, we see this red thread throughout the Scriptures. Let’s turn to Genesis 12:1-4

1 Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you; 2 And I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing; 3 And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” 4 So Abram went away as the LORD had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

The mission Abraham was given involved

Going

Letting go

Let’s look at what going meant in the scriptures.

Going

Throughout the Old and New Testaments and even today, we see that whenever a person has a personal encounter with God, not just a general belief in God, when he or she really sees God’s glory, there is a change in his or her life’s trajectory. When we understand God’s undeserved mercy and grace, it changes the way we see ourselves and how we interact with others.

The first time Abraham met God (Gen 12:4), he heard from God personally. God told him to go, get out of your homeland, out of everything that was familiar and gemütlich. And then God blessed Abraham richly so he and his family would be a blessing to others. Was the only reason God wanted Abraham to move was for a job and to start a family in another region? No - Abraham had an encounter with God, understood the calling, and became a man on mission.

We can think of another OT saint who met God at a burning bush. God called Moses to go to speak to Pharaoh and to deliver His people from Egypt and then take them to the Promised Land. The question is, before the calling, did God place Moses in the desert for 40 years just to take care of sheep? No, it was 40 years of preparation - Moses had an encounter with God, understood the calling, fought the calling at first but eventually became a man on mission.

Isaiah the prophet recorded His encounter with God in Isaiah chapter 6. He got a glimpse of God’s glory, His holiness, and power and he was “undone.” In other words, Isaiah realized he was lost, utterly unworthy, naked before God, living in the midst of an ungodly society. When he saw himself and his surroundings in the light of God in all His glory, he made an accurate assessment of how far he and his people were from the light. He had no place to run and hide, he couldn’t rationalize his behavior nor the behavior of those around him. God’s holiness exposed his sinfulness, selfishness, pettiness, or whatever “ness” he had.