A Missional Heart

What does it really mean to have a missional heart and foster purposeful and intentional relationships? For most people, the first picture to mind may be missionaries who live out high callings and are sent out to distant nations, reaching the obscure tribes. It's a devotion of a lifetime, usually focused to reach the physically, financially, resourcefully lacking areas where the greatest amount of need is most demonstrated. Maybe, for some, it's taking every opportunity to reach out to our friends, seizing the moments to witness to others, and living out a purpose of reaching the unreached. This is what I came to understand it to be too. What more could it be, what more could it mean?

In Latin, missio means "sent", and likewise, the "missional church" relates to those "sent by God". In a sense, we were all sent. He had a purpose for us when he wrote our life story. So then what is our purpose? The world we live in today has become such a secular world, one we unknowingly let fill with sin and darkness, that stemmed from the very first sin of Adam. We know this, yet we make excuses for our own sins, our own ignorance, our own personal issues. Why is it so hard for some of us to live consistently between our "church" lives and "secular" lives? Why do we categorize it as two? We only have one purpose, so why two lives? As Christians, we each have our own daily spiritual challenges to face, but often because of our sinful nature, our pride hinders our ability to live with unwavering faith, leading to these two lives we struggle to compromise. Striving towards consistency in our daily lifestyle, actions, and words is so important, as it reveals the foundations upon which our faith was built.

As a fellow sister shared: It's like in a chick flick where the boy is madly in love with the girl, and the boy's best friend asks him why he likes her. It's difficult for the guy in love to express his feelings, but yet his friend trusts and believes there must be something so much greater in that girl that he can't quite fathom. It's so true! We are so in love with our Father, sometimes we lack the adequate words to express our praises for him. His love for us is just filled with so much compassion, grace, redemption. But yet, when others questions our love for Him, we shouldn't become weakend and respond with uncertain "I don't know" answers. Stephen in Acts 6 exemplified the perfect model for this. Even when opposition arose, his faith remained unshaken. "They could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke" (v.10).

If we remain confident and faithful in our God that He will fill us with the Holy Spirit when we witness to our doubting friends, I believe our witnesses would have so much more conviction and power. The lack of doubt would allow us to overcome the boundaries, and in itself, be a testimony to how great our merciful Father is and the worth of living and dying for him.

Similarly, the Gospel message is so powerful, that without God's sovereignty, it would not have been carried out to all the nations. Instead of taking it upon himself to spread the Gospel to the nations or even the angels, he entrusted this responsibility to his eleven disciples who doubted him (Mt 28:17), and sinful believers like you and I. As they went and spread the good news, the eleven rapidly grew, "making disciples of all nations." The privilege of the Great Commission was given to the entire Church! As He commanded us to go forth to reach every tribe, tongue, people, and nation, making disciples, we must allow the Holy Spirit to create and build upon faith as we share the Gospel.

We must start our journey towards a Missional Heart at the foot of the cross, where we can come, lay all our burdens down for him, and give every portion of our hearts to God. This is were our motivation and compassionate hearts begin. To be missional, we need to change our hearts. Jesus's purpose to be missional is revealed in Mt 9:36: When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like a sheep without a shepherd. Along with his command, he attached a great promise: "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Mt 28:20). He knows it's not always going to be an easy journey, that at times we'll experience frustration, embarassment, and rejection. But our Lord is unfailing, unlike our world when it conflicts with the God we know, and that is the joy and grandeur of the knowing and sharing the Gospel Message.

My personal convictions from this week's Bible study: Are you willing to die to God? Can you let go of everything and walk with Him in faith? Are you willing to give up everything you've been working towards all your life -- academically, professionally, socially, family and relationships, to obey and live for God? What is it going to take to be able to fully surrender all these things to him, and why is it so hard to let go of everything I've done and been working towards all my life? God has a plan for us. We need to trust in it and let go of our own insecurities searching for stability and comfort, to be able to follow Him whole-heartedly. This is where missions begins. This is how you can believe in the Gospel, and spread it with unwavering faith. Lay down the big dreams you've had all your life, even the big things you've dreamt of doing for Him. Surrender it all, ask what he's calling you to today and now, and so much more of His kingdom will be revealed to you.