The Jesus Mission

   Taglines have a way of sticking in our heads and enduring. And maybe the most well-known slogan of all is…  “Just do it.” – Nike.
FCC has a slogan too. “Real Hope for Real People”
   Ties in nicely with our purpose at FCC-to lead people to love and live for Jesus right where they are.  But, it’s one thing to know it and another to do it.  Now, the interesting thing about a slogan is that you can know it, but not really let it impact you. Back to Nike for a minute. While almost everyone knows the slogan “Just Do It,” and likes it, truth is many of us wear Nike clothes and “Just don’t do it.” In fact, there is a whole new trend in clothing called “Athleisure” clothing. Have you heard about this? It’s for people who want to wear activewear but don’t want to work out!  That cracks me up.
   But you know, the same is true with “helping people find their way back to God.” Knowing the mission is one thing...living it out is another. Here at FCC our vision is to become a church where maturity is measured by how we live and not just what we know.  We want to become followers of Jesus who just don’t know about the mission but live out His mission.  As Christians, we have been given every spiritual blessing in Christ.  We dare not hoard those blessings, but share them.
   In Jesus, we are blessed to be a blessing to those who are far from God.
   That’s our mission. It’s God’s mission.  Some people think that God’s mission started when Jesus came to earth, or when he commissioned his closest followers to “Go and make disciples,” but God had a mission for his people way back in the very beginning – in Genesis.  From the beginning, God has been on mission.  Our God is a sending God, a God who is on the move.  For example,
   Take a look at what God said to Abraham:  “The LORD had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.  I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you;
I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse;and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.’” –Genesis 12:1-3
   There is one word that is repeated five times in just three short verses. Do you see that word?  It’s the word “bless.” God says to Abraham, “I will bless you . . . and you will be a blessing . . . and I will bless those who bless you . . . and not only that . . . all people on earth will be blessed through you.” Wow!
   At this point in time, Abraham’s future was very much in doubt. He and Sarah did not have a son yet to carry on his legacy. You might say that the mission of human beings had come to a screeching halt -- which interestingly enough is often the place where the mission of God can finally take off. It’s when we realize that our own efforts are not getting the job done. We look around and see a world in shambles. And it’s in that place of desperation that the mission of God will often finally flourish.
   And so God says to Abraham, “Go.” -- Our God is constantly on the move and he wants his people to be on the move as well. And it’s his desire that wherever we go – as we go, we are about the mission of blessing the people and places that cross our path. We can not be on mission with God and stay put. We have to go!
   I challenge you to map out YOUR mission.  Where should you go?
•Where you live
•Where you work
•Where you shop
•Where you gather
   List the people with whom your life intersects on a regular basis. That’s your mission field.  It’s one thing to know your mission field.  It’s another to help lead them to Jesus.  I’d like to give you some advice.”Just do it.”