The Great Commission Is Not a Suggestion

By Lysa McMillan

MANY OF US ASSUME THAT MISSIONS AND “MISSIONARY STATUS” IS FOR SOMEONE ELSE . . .

That type of work is for the super spiritual, or the experienced traveler with a well-used passport, or the multilingual speaker with a natural talent for picking up new languages. We might even assume it’s for those adventurous people who don’t mind living in the most primitive of conditions. But not so . . .

Though courage is needed, missionary life doesn’t always require an address change. Instead, what it really requires is a change of our perspective, priorities, and passion. It requires an available spirit, one that is open to the leading of the Holy Spirit . . . a spirit that says, “I will go.”

But God is seeking ordinary people with missional mindsets . . . people willing to go! 

When we see our lives though the eyes of God’s kingdom mission and gain His heart for the world, we live differently, we give differently, and we love differently.

God is seeking ordinary people with missional mindsets; people willing to go. Now, here’s the thing: “Go” might look different for all of us. For you, it may involve boarding a plane or praying for the work God is doing in a certain country or through a missionary. Maybe you’re compelled to give financially or speak up about the gospel of Jesus Christ with a neighbor, coworker, stranger, or a man, woman, or child from a foreign country. Whatever it may be, each of us are called to be part of God’s redemptive work here and beyond our own borders.

 For this time in history, in this moment, our Lord has chosen us to be His messengers here in our nation and to the ends of the earth! Nothing in life will ever outweigh the importance of advancing God’s kingdom. Our human, earthbound pursuits will always fall short. But if we will arise—if we will take a step of faith and GO—imagine what our great God will do!