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.
As a prophet, Isaiah felt totally unworthy to speak on God’s behalf. But in that moment of weakness, brokenness, and hopelessness an angel took a burning coal from the sacrifice altar and touched his lips, letting him know that his sin had been atoned for. In that moment he got a revelation of God’s personal forgiveness and mercy and what was possible for anyone who came to God. Interesting when Moses and Isaiah first met God… “who am I” to “here am I.”
Then Isaiah heard God ask, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Can you imagine the Trinity asking this question? Isaiah said, “Here I am - send me!” And God sent Isaiah to speak the truth to His people - even though they wouldn’t listen, wouldn’t receive the truth, even though they would resist him. But after Isaiah had this encounter with God, he was willing to go and endure rejection taking hold of God’s purpose, Isaiah was a man on mission.
So we see that there is a “going” aspect of mission but that also means there’s a (SL 5) “letting go” aspect of mission.
Letting go
God called Abraham to be the Father of our Faith, to be the father of many nations, but there was sacrifice involved. In order to obey the calling, Abraham had to let go of the familiar, tradition, the old, his “safe place.” Moses left the comforts of Egypt and the status of being Pharaoh’s “adopted son.” Later he let go of his quiet, comfortable life of sheep herding. Letting go does not always mean letting go of things - sometimes it means letting go of the past (good or bad), letting go of your reputation, letting go of your failures, your hurts, your sorrows. God told Isaiah to loosen (let go) the sackcloth from his waist and to take his sandals off (Isa 20:4) - symbolizing a shift from sorrow and grief to a message of action and hope. But letting go can be quite a struggle, personally I have found it is far easier to let go when I know what or who I am taking hold of. Even as Christians it is so tempting to take hold of the past.
In John 21, after Jesus’ resurrection Peter said to the other disciples, “I’m going fishing.” He was going, but not where Jesus called him to go. After following Jesus for three years and witnessing Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, he just went back to his old occupation. He was probably wondering “Now what?” Ever been in that place? Maybe you are in a new phase in your life, a new place and wondering what’s next?
The disciples worked all night but caught nothing. Jesus showed up on the shore, told them where to cast their nets, and as they hauled in a huge amount of fish, they realized who He was. It was over breakfast that Jesus commissioned Peter to feed His sheep and young lambs. The word feed means - to spiritually nourish God’s people with the Word of God (Jn 21:15,17). God didn’t call them to go back to fishing and selling fish - God had called His disciples to be fishers of men.
Jesus told Peter to feed and care for the sheep - to guard and guide them because they are so easily led astray. After this face-to- face conversation with Jesus, Peter understood the calling, didn’t do things perfectly, but became a man on mission. He went where Jesus wanted him to go and let go of his old life.
Jesus has given us as His church a mission. We are to go into all the world to reach people - a far wider scope than just to God’s people. This year we have been speaking about what it means to have the faith of a mustard seed. The almost imperceptible mustard seed of faith is now about to grow into a mighty tree.
We have seen this time and time again in the Old Testament where God’s inadequate and often reluctant servants are sent out to fulfill His purpose with the assurance of His empowerment and His presence. Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Deborah, Gideon, Daniel, Esther, Isaiah, Jeremiah, the disciples were all called, just as God has called us - to go, give, and grow.
Here’s my question: Do you believe God called you just to study? To live in Vienna, to get a job, find a spouse, to have a family, to settle down, to live the good life or is there an even greater calling on your life? Have you ever thought that the Master of the universe wants your life to be blessed and a blessing to others?
God’s calling to go and let go is for everyone of us in this room - moms and dads, couples, single men and women, university students and teens. God has called and created us to be men and women on mission. We are called to reach those who are lost and without hope, people in darkness, who can’t find their way or don’t understand God’s incredible purpose for their lives. This is why as a church, we teach the Word, raise up leaders, seek to equip people for life and for their calling. We have been so blessed by God and want to share that blessing with others. This is why we go, why we give and seek to grow, to take the Word of God and Jesus’ Great Commission beyond these 4 walls. This is why we are having a baptism in August to give people the opportunity to take the next step of obedience and identify with the Lord’s death, burial, and resurrection.
There was a plan of redemption for the world in eternity past and Jesus came to the world, left heaven and humbled Himself to endure the cross (Heb 12:2) and die for our sins. For this He was highly exalted and is sitting at the right hand of the throne of God. But He’s also here with us - present in our lives through His Holy Spirit and He is calling us into relationship and partnership with Himself.
The outcome of Jesus' mission was that multitudes of lives from every nation would be given the opportunity to come into fellowship with God and one day have a home in heaven.
Let’s allow God to craft our lives, let Him work in every part of our lives and bring out the beauty in and eternal purpose for our lives.
