I was reading the other day in Acts 13. Paul is on his first “missionary journey” and he is in Pisidian Antioch speaking to the people of that city. He quotes Isaiah 49:6 “I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth”. As I read this and then turned back to Isaiah to read the whole text I could not help but be moved by the clarity Paul had on the God’s call on his life and how that fit into the mission of the Church- “making disciples of all nations”. The mission of Christ’s Church is to expand His Kingdom on earth by making disciples. This is a very broad mission. Within the Church and this broad mission God has called individuals and ministries, who are a part of the Church, to more specific missions. Each is a part of the whole. This was Paul’s case, he was called to reach the Gentiles, Peter and many of the apostles were called to the Jewish people. It is apparent that Paul understood that he was a part of a bigger whole, that his narrower mission was not the grandest mission but a “mission within the Mission.”
Paul had this firm conviction of both the broader mission and his own mission- even in the midst of difficulty and hardship. He never backed off from either. Where did this conviction come from? Paul says it came from Christ, that it was really Christ’s mission given to Paul. This reality that “his mission” really wasn’t “his mission” but that he was a steward of a mission given to him created in Paul this conviction. This conviction led to tenacity in his ministry which, for me, is inspiring. So when he was threatened with death, arrested or even opposed by those within the Church Paul could always turn to this calling, a calling that was both within the broader mission of the Church and given to him by Christ. Paul even went so far as to see times of challenges as being used to advance both the broader mission of Christ and his part of it. This should not be surprising because Paul believed, since it was Christ’s mission, that ultimately Christ would assure its fulfillment. This provides great freedom from fear and energy to move forward.
When I played high school football I was a defensive end. No doubt the smallest defense end in our league (145 lbs). Our team had as its mission to win our conference and possibly go the state playoffs (only 16 teams total went in those days and was based on computer rankings so the playoffs was difficult to reach). We all understood this and were very clear that this was our mission. As a defensive end I had a primary mission, within this broad mission of the team, to assure that I “contained the end”. In other words make sure no one with the ball got around me because most of the time if they did there was no one behind me to stop them from running for a touchdown. Too many touchdowns by the other team got in the way of our team’s mission. I could play this position undersized because I understood clearly my mission and the coach’s knew I would do anything I could to fulfill it. I was challenged often, usually from pulling guards or fullbacks who out weighed me by many pounds, to hold my position and fulfill my mission. Because I knew the broader team mission and I understood my personal mission given to me by coaches I stood my ground, sometimes at great cost to my body. By giving me this mission the coaches communicated to me their belief that I could do this job successfully. This gave me the courage and tenacity to do all I could to fulfill my mission, even when those pulling guards where barrowing down on me, and by doing so helping our team fulfill its mission- winning championships.
There is just something sustaining and inspiring when you know you have been personally invited to be a part of something bigger than yourself. This is what Paul experienced. This is what I experienced playing high school football. This is what we need to continue to experience at SpringHill. We have to continue to understand and remember the broader mission of Christ’s Church (making disciples of all nations) and that God has given us a specific part of that mission “to create life-impacting experiences that enable young people to know and grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ.” There is no doubt that we have been given this mission, that this is the reason for which God created and has sustain SpringHill for nearly 40 years. As we work our way through these challenging times (taking on those big bad pulling guards) lets always remember this God given, God called mission that we have. It’s His and for that reason alone He will sustain us. And like Paul, I believe that He will not only sustain us but will use these challenges to make us better prepared to carry out the mission He has for SpringHill for decades to come.
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