Where He Leads I Will Follow: Your Mission Field

 

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  Matthew 28:19-20

 When you think of a mission field, what comes to mind? People who look very different from you and live very different lives from you in a very different place far, far away? For some people, that is very much the case. My dear friend, Kris, for example flies all over the world to the most remote and inaccessible regions to bring the hope and love of Christ to people. She’s one of my biggest heroes! But that’s not everyone’s calling. Not everybody is sent far away, some of us, most of us in fact, are tasked with a mission field at our very doorstep.

 At the beginning of the book of Acts, just before Jesus ascends into heaven, He tasks the disciples – and us – with carrying the message of His love, the gospel to, “Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Jerusalem is where the were immediately, with Judea being the larger region. Samaria was their neighbor, but they were not good friends and then, of course, the ends of the earth stretches out from there.

 Jesus had them start where they were at. Tell the people around you, closest to you. Let them see the truth of what you believe lived out in your life. Build relationships. Share God’s love. As that witness establishes, it naturally grows out to the surrounding people and relationships. People at work, school, the grocery store, your neighborhood, etc. As you live a life of love in the world, you naturally share about Jesus – and sometimes with words. But the rubber hits the road when you get to Samaria. That’s those people God puts in your life that maybe you don’t get along with as well, you don’t see eye to eye. It’s with these types of people that we can often have the greatest witness because it stands in stark contrast to expectation. Think about the story of the “Good Samaritan.” The whole reason it stands out is that no one expected the Samaritan to be the one to help the poor man beaten up on the side of the road. They expected the “good” people of his country that just passed him by to do the job, but they didn’t. In this area, we are called to do the unexpected, to be the “Good Samaritan” and go out of our way to show God’s love to those who need it most.

 So what about people like me. People who don’t leave the house much. People who don’t even go to the grocery store for the most part. Who is my Jerusalem? My Judea? My Samaria? Well, God blessed me with that recently as well. I’ve just finished six weeks of radiation therapy (this blog post was written months ago) and during that time God gave me a whole new Judea. I spent hours every morning at the hospital and got to connect with a lot of people. There was the parking lot attendant, Abraham. My “Happy Tuesday” orderly that I greeted each day. The receptionist, Jennie, with whom I shot the breeze while checking in. The radiation techs that set me up each day – they were amazing! And, my favorite, Mike. Mike and I spent HOURS over the last six weeks talking as we waited for treatment in the secondary waiting room. God blessed these conversations in incredible ways, giving me opportunities to share my faith and learning from him about his life and family. I’m going to miss that. I didn’t realize it when I started radiation, but I was on a six week mission trip. That was my chance to feed into those lives, to bless them, to show God’s love and perhaps open their hearts a little to what He has for them. I don’t know that I’ve ever been more bold in the sharing of my faith and love for God as I was the last six weeks. Could I have done more? For sure! But the point is that I felt this clear opening, this urgent calling on my heart. Tell people. Tell them Who He is and what He’s done for you. Tell them where your hope lies, why you can smile through this. I’d never have considered a “mission trip” to the hospital, but I’m so grateful I had the opportunity!

Here’s the Thing: Everyone’s mission field looks different, and it will look different in different stages of your life. The point isn’t where your mission field is, but who. It’s probably right, smack in front of you. Don’t miss it!