Kingdom Mission: Living Your True North DailySample

Can I share a confession?

For most of my life, I've struggled to share my faith with words. In high school, when my teammate asked about my 'What Would Jesus Do?' bracelet, I replied, 'None of the sinful things that you do.' That summer, while working at an ice cream shop with zero context or compassion, I told my coworkers they were going to hell. Awkward!

The judgmental teenager who shared those words went on to be a pastor and author! God had a sense of humor, and He surely humbled me since those harsh moments.

If you've ever felt nervous about sharing your faith, you're in good company. Maybe you've been on the receiving end of someone's clumsy attempt to share the gospel with you. If that experience left a bad taste in your mouth, I want to apologize on behalf of the church. Too often, followers of Jesus teach the truth without grace.

In contrast to my failed attempts, Jesus gave us a clear example of how to live on mission, and it's beautifully simple. After John the Baptist was arrested, Jesus began his public ministry with a clear announcement in Mark 1:15 CSB: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe in the gospel."

This wasn't just Jesus' opening line - this was his primary message. Jesus started talking about the Kingdom of God, and He didn’t stop. He spoke more about the kingdom than he did about any other subject in the Gospels.

So what exactly is the Kingdom of God?

When Jesus taught us to pray "your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven," He was describing God's kingdom as the place where God's will is done, just like it is in heaven.

Notice what Jesus said in Mark 1:15: "The kingdom of God has come near." The Greek word here doesn't mean "close in proximity," like your neighbor's house is near yours. It means "available" or "accessible." Jesus wasn't announcing that God's kingdom was about to arrive - He was announcing that God's kingdom was now accessible to humanity through Him.

If God's kingdom is accessible, this is the heart of our mission as followers of Jesus: to announce that God's kingdom is near and accessible. As sailors use true north to navigate through stormy oceans, the good news of God’s kingdom is our true north, orienting us and sharing it with the world. But as we'll discover tomorrow, Jesus didn't just announce this message with words - He demonstrated it in ways that got people's attention and changed their lives forever.

In the next reading for this plan, I’ll share why many of us struggle to live on mission with Jesus and feel like we’re not experiencing God’s purpose.