Send Me: What is the "BIG Picture" of Missions?

Sometimes it's hard to see the big picture.  Sometimes an image only tells us part of a story.  We’ve probably all heard the expression “the BIG picture”.  Seeing the big picture is being able to look at what’s going on in it’s most basic and simple form.  When we look at the Bible we see a few basic themes . . . 1.)  God wants to relate with humans, 2.) Sin prevents God from relating with humans, and 3.) God has done and is doing everything He can to get rid of sin. 
If we look closely at the BIG picture of how God has worked in history we will find that His assignments for people have not really changed.  He has a few big purposes in mind that He knows are essential to recovering His relationship with humanity.  Although the small part that we each play may not make sense, knowing that God sees the big picture is reassuring.  The BIG picture for God has always been about BRIDGING the GAP between humanity and Himself!  We can look far back in human history and see that the BIG picture has always remained the same.

1.  God assigned Jesus to destroy SATAN (Gen. 3:15) –  Satan is a lot like the bully who just goes around tearing people down.  I remember one particular bully in my high school, his favorite thing to do was pick on, torture, embarrass, and put down whoever he could.  He was big, so he was usually successful.  I have one particular memory of him after gym class as a freshman.  I was in the shower all by myself and he came in after me.  Surrounded by 20 or 30 other open showers he walked up to me, punched me in the shoulder, and said, “that’s my shower”!  It took every ounce of will power I had to keep from crying. 

From the beginning God has wanted to eliminate the devil (Rom. 16:20; I Jn. 3:8)!  The devil has been working for thousands of years to destroy the people that God loves.  It is the devil’s intention only to steal, kill, and destroy the life that we have been given.  The devil has been fueling God’s fire for centuries by bullying His creation around.  Satan was one of the reasons that God sent Jesus.  He was sent on a mission to destroy the work of the devil.  God wants to get rid of the devil and the path of destruction that he creates in our lives.

 2.      God assigned Noah to rid the earth of WICKEDNESS and EVIL (Gen. 6:1-22) – Many of us have probably known someone who had cancer.  Knowing someone with cancer is a painful experience because of the destructive effective it has on the person’s life.  Cancer can be gotten rid of with chemotherapy treatments.  Chemotherapy uses powerful drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells by interfering with cell duplication.  The goal of chemotherapy is to rid the body completely of unhealthy tumors or cells so that the healthy ones can thrive.

From the beginning God has wanted to preserve righteousness (I Pet. 3:18-22)!  God wants to remove the “cancer” of wickedness and evil that exists within us.  Righteousness is the healthy condition we need to have a relationship with God.  By putting our faith in Christ, we are not just cleansed from our sin but the evil in our lives in drowned out!  Without the righteousness that comes through having our sins removed we can have no relationship with God.

3.      God assigned Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to BLESS the people of the earth (Gen. 12:3, 18:18, 22:18) – Some of my favorite gifts that I received at Christmas were the ones that were not given directly to me but I got to experience the benefits of.  Usually it was a gift that my dad got for my mom.  My dad would always get my mom something like a VCR, an exercise bike, or a new TV.  When my mom opened her gift the whole family would be like, “wow, WE can’t wait to use that!”  Too bad for my mom but good for all of us.  God’s gift to Abraham to bless his family was not for him alone, it was for all mankind.

From the beginning God has wanted to reward those who believe in Him (Mt. 1:1-17; Gal. 3:6-9)!  It is in the genealogy of Abraham that God revealed the blessing to all peoples on earth.  Jesus Himself, being a direct descendent of Abraham, was the blessing that God had promised.  Faith in Christ is what allows us to experience that blessing that God promised to Abraham thousands of years ago.  We become a part of Abraham’s great nation by believing in Jesus Christ!  It is our mission as well to reveal this blessing to others!

4.      God assigned Moses to RESCUE His people from SLAVERY (Ex. 3:7-10) – Have you ever been needed to be rescued?  If you’ve been rescued then you have been in a place or a situation that you could not get YOURSELF out of!  I had the opportunity to rescue a kid one time.  When I was a counselor at Bible camp one night when there was a kid who was acting crazy and would not go to sleep.  He would not let me shut the light off by screaming if I did.  He got so worked up that he fell off the bunk between the board that was supposed to keep kids from falling out.  He was literal stuck with his feet dangling and could not get out.  I enjoyed it for a minute but eventually saved him from his misery.

From the beginning God has wanted to free us from the bondage of sin (Jn. 8:34-36)!  Everyone who has sin in their life is a slave.  It controls us, it influences our thinking, and leads us to where it wants us to go.  God has never wanted us to be enslaved by anything.  He has always wanted to release us from the burden of guilt and oppression.  That freedom can only come through His Son Jesus.

Conclusion:

Every assigned mission that God has ever sent anyone on had something to do with bringing people back into a relationship with Him!  God assigns people mission’s in life that remove obstacles which prevent people from depending solely on Him.  When we are listening for our assignment in life we need be paying close attention to how it might draw people closer to God.  If your assignment does not accomplish that then we might be creating it ourselves.

Send Me: Am I Willing To Go On A Mission?

There is something exciting about being sent on a mission.  Everyone wants a mission in life.  We love movies where individuals are sent on strange and adventurous tasks to accomplish something profound.  What is a mission? A special assignment given to a person or a group.  Most people do not think that they will ever be given a truly profound mission in life.  It wouldn’t surprise me if most of us thought that our lives will be anything but exciting.  That is NOT what God has in mind for us.  He has a special assignment, a mission for each and every one of us.

READ:  Isaiah 6:1-13

Just like God told Isaiah to “GO” in verse 9, God has a “mission” for each and every one of us!  He has a place and plan for all of us to be used to most effectively minister for Him in His Kingdom.  His mission for us will be exciting and deeply satisfying.  The question is, “are we willing to listen for and accept ours?”  Here are a few ways we can know that we are ready to be sent on a mission . .

 1.      We are ready for our mission when we REALIZE God’s immensity (vs. 1-4) – Have you ever tried to describe something that was indescribable?  I don’t know if I could put into words what the Grand Canyon looks like.  It is simply too immense to put into words.  I don’t think I would do Niagara Falls justice if I tried to describe it to you.  It is too immense to describe.  If you have never been to either the Grand Canyon or Niagara Falls I’m sure you would not know where to begin in describing their immensity.

In Isaiah 1:1-4 Isaiah has a vision where he sees the Lord with his own eyes! In the vision there was a THRONE which represented God’s exalted rule and reign, a TRAIN which represented a king’s royal garments, there are SERAPHIM worshipping which represented those who serve Him, His voice caused an EARTHQUAKE which shook the foundations of the thresholds which represented the power of His Word, and there was SMOKE which represented God’s eternal presence.  I’m sure for Isaiah this scene was unforgettable.  Have you ever had an unforgettable experience with God?

Before we go on a mission we must have had an experience with God (1 Jn. 1:1-4)!  Prior to going on a mission we must intimately know and have experienced the One who is sending us.  We cannot speak accurately and passionately about God if we have never met or do not know Him.  We must have first hand knowledge of  God if we are going to proclaim anything accurately and convincingly about Him.  To have met and experienced GOD and to speak about Him in small, insignificant terms does not go together.  Having seen, heard, and touched God will give us something incredible to proclaim.

 2.      We are ready for our mission when we RECOGNIZE our sinfulness and have RECEIVED forgiveness (vss. 5-7) – Being in the presence of certain people causes us to recognize different things about ourselves.  Being in the presence of a friend makes us recognize how bored or unhappy we are when we are alone.  Being in the presence of someone who is sick makes us recognize how wonderful it is to be healthy and feel good.  Being in the presence of a boss makes us recognize when we are wasting time or being lazy on the job.  Being in the presence of a police officer makes us recognize when we are going over the speed limit.  

What does being in the presence of God cause us to recognize?  Being in the presence of a holy God makes us recognize our guilt and shame.  When we recognize that we are nothing without the grace, mercy, and forgiveness of God we in a position where we can be used by God.  If we do not recognize our sin we will live life and ministry with pride and arrogance.

Only a contrite individual will be effective as a missionary (Lk. 5:4-9)!  Being mission minded means admitting that only God can transform us into the people who can accomplish the mission He as for our lives.  Without God’s grace and forgiveness we are all unqualified and unequipped to carry out the mission He has planned for us.  In fact, God will not send us on a mission if we are not first of all humble enough to confess our sinfulness.  Only then are we capable of being the person that God needs us to be on our mission. 

3.      We are ready for our mission when we RESPOND to a calling (vs. 8) – Sometimes it’s nice having small children in the house because they do pretty much whatever you say.  I will quite often send Sarah or Emily on a mission to get something around the house and quite often their response is, “okay, daddy”.  There are other times though that Sarah and Emily are not quite so willing to do what they are told (i.e. nap and bedtime).  If there is something that they do not want to do then they will cry and scream and express their dissatisfaction.  We are trying to teach Sarah and Emily that when we ask them to go somewhere or do something they need to respond obediently.

We can be confident that God wants to send us somewhere (Mt. 28:19-20)!  The question for the Christian is not whether God has a mission for us or not, but rather are we willing to say YES to His calling!  God WILL invite us to go on a mission for Him.  We can be sure that at some point in our lives God will say to each and every one of us, “whom shall I send? And who will go?”  We need to be ready to respond by obediently saying, “YES!”

 4.      We are ready for our mission when we RELATE a message from God (vss. 9-13) – Probably one of the most annoying groups of people on a mission are telemarketers.  When they call they are determined to tell you their “speel” no matter whether you want to hear it or not.  Even after you’ve told them that you are interested in the message that they want to tell you they have some response to keep you on the line and potentially listen to what they have to say.  Christians on a mission have a vitally important message.

We are supposed to GO and TELL the good news (1 Pet. 3:15)!  Wherever we are sent on a mission the message will be the same . . . Jesus Christ.  There is not a person on the planet whom God does not want to hear the good news of the Son that He has sent.  He wants everyone to have the opportunity to hear the Word. 

 Conclusion:

The greatest missionary in history when He accepted His assignment was Jesus Christ (John 3:16).  God sent Jesus to leave heaven and come to the world where He revealed Himself as the One who could save the world from their sins.  Because Christ accepted His mission we are saved. 

You and I can be sent in much the same way.  If Christ was willing to be sent on our behalf then we should be willing to be sent on behalf of those who do not know.  There are people who are lost and need to hear to gospel of Jesus Christ and God wants to use us to reveal Jesus Christ to the world.  When God calls, our response must simply be, “SEND ME!”