No-Sweat Mission

Hope Joy X. Owens
3 days ago
6 min read

Inspired by friends going on mission trips + recent speakers + personal Bible reading + convos

How do you approach the Great Commission?

It's not exactly a "no-sweat mission." God has given us an important calling that definitely includes sweat, tears, pain, and hard work. With all diligence and intentionality, we should take on the "task of tesifying to the Good News of God's grace" (Acts 20:24).

However, it's easy to start looking at it in the wrong ways, and we really should ask ourselves every so often, "Am I putting pressure on myself in ways God never asked me to?"

Hi guys! Last Saturday, I spent a great deal of time working on a new blog. However, it turned out to be pretty lengthy, and I'm trying to figure out how to finish it. In the meantime, I used some of the content for a little devotional before my mission trip meeting. Since this was already put together, I thought I'd go ahead and share it!

The pressure is off.

In Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Life, he lists 5 purposes that capture why we are on earth. 4 out of the 5 purposes we can do on both heaven and earth, but there is one thing that we are commanded to do on earth that we can’t do in heaven: the mission.

It’s very important that we know what God has called us to do and that we actually do it. We must obey the Great Commission, but it’s also very important to remember that the pressure is off.

Ephesians 6 speaks of the armor of God. Why do we need armor? We are at war.

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, having belted your waist with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having strapped on your feet the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

The pressure is off.

We are not alone!
Who is the command to? The pronoun is plural. Paul is not writing to tell one soldier to put on his armor. The instruction is for the army as a whole. The church is to put on the armor together. Wars are not fought solo, and, therefore, we do not have the pressure of fighting alone. Armies go into battle to complete their mission. The Bible makes it very clear that the church is stronger as a unified body.

Our salvation is secured!
Helmet of salvation. The helmet of salvation is to be put on the whole church. Where does the helmet go? The helmet sits on the head. The previous chapter just said that Christ is the head of the church. The helmet of salvation is put on Christ, the head of the church. Therefore, our salvation rests securely on Jesus. We don't go into battle at the risk of losing our salvation. There is no pressure on us to earn our salvation. It is not at the expense of our souls' security, but in the abundance of God's grace that we obey the Great Commission.

We are on the offense!
Verse 16 talks about the “flaming arrows of the evil one.” There are two clear sides of an attack: the offense and the defense. In battle, arrows come from the soldiers positioned on the walls of a city. As those soldiers would be defending their city, Satan is doing all he can to defend his territory. However, his rule is limited (John 12:31-32). The Devil is desperately (and cleverly) defending as much territory as he can. The earth is our temporary dwelling place. We have already secured the most valuable treasure (Jesus) and have no pressure to defend what will one day be wiped away.

We have nothing to lose!
We are on the offense with nothing to lose. God empowers His people to be an invading force with the assurance of ultimate victory. We don't have pressure to win, but we have hope in God's victorious outcome.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 says, “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

It's a balance.

We must be good stewards with what God has given us.

We must trust that all that God has given us… whether it’s talent, money, or time… is enough for what God wants us to do.

We still have responsibilities, but we can take them on without the unnecessary pressure.

I’m sure Jeremiah felt a lot of pressure. God wanted Jeremiah to be His prophet to the nations. Jeremiah’s calling in chapter one goes as follows:

God tells Jeremiah his calling
Jeremiah doubts
God affirms Jeremiah
God puts His Words in Jeremiah’s mouth
Similar to us, God is sending Jeremiah into battle: “gird your loins”
God gives a promise and warning to Jeremiah: blessing with obedience and consequence with disobedience.

In a similar way, our mission from God might feel like a lot of pressure. There are souls at stake. However, we must resist the temptation of leaning into the lies the Enemy wants to put in our minds. The pressure is off. We are not alone in fighting this spiritual war. Whether it’s on a foreign mission field or at the gas station, we can confidently approach the task of testifying to the Good News of God’s grace.

Reflection Questions

Am I diligent in preaching the Gospel to both others and myself? (Am I both (a) evangelizing and (b) reminding myself that God is gracious?)
Am I trying to fight this battle alone? How do I currently partake in the mission with other believers? What can I do this week with other Christians that would help us obey God?
Do I treat mission trips as a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity to share the Gospel or as the continuation of the mission God is calling me to every day? If we are ambassadors of God, then we are constantly on mission as aliens to this earth!
When was the last time I shared the Gospel? When was the last time I refrained from speaking about God or praying for another in person?
Do I let fear tell me what to do instead of the Holy Spirit? Do I live like Jesus has already secured the victory?

Jeremiah 1:

“Now the word of the LORD came to me saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.’ Then I said, ‘Alas, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, Because I am a youth.’ But the LORD said to me, ‘Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ Because everywhere I send you, you shall go, And all that I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, For I am with you to deliver you,’ declares the LORD.” Then the Lord stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me, ‘Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, To pluck up and to break down, To destroy and to overthrow, To build and to plant.’” … “Now gird up your loins and arise, and speak to them all which I command you. Do not be dismayed before them, or I will dismay you before them.” … “‘They will fight against you, but they will not overcome you, for I am with you to deliver you,’ declares the LORD.”