Joining Jesus

For the next several weeks, our posts will reflect on the book Joining Jesus on His Mission by Greg Finke.  The premise of this book is to alter the way we see our lives as followers of Jesus; it invites us to think about what it means to be everyday missionaries. This book is being read and discussed by our church council; it is a very helpful and practical.  I invite you to read it along with us. We have extra copies available in the narthex or you can find it easily via Amazon.  The reality is that, in a remarkably short amount of time, the United States has become one of the largest mission fields on the planet.  No longer do we have to think of foreign lands when we consider those who are not Christian. We certainly do not need to travel to inner cities or go overseas.  Truth be told, the odds are very good that right now, wherever you live or work, there are an abundance of people who are not connected to Jesus at all. So, what does this mean? It means we heed the words of Jesus when He says, “Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men.”  Or to borrow the phraseology of the book, it is time for us to join Jesus on His mission to redeem and restore human lives to the kingdom of the Father.  Or more simply put, to seek and save those who are lost. 
 
Thus, we take our cue from Jesus.  Two thousand years ago, He exchanged His heavenly throne room for a dirty stable. The Word became flesh. He made His dwelling among us. Our home became His. He took up residence. This is what we mean when we talk about incarnational ministry; Jesus moved into our neighborhood. Like Jesus, we see the mission field in our neighborhoods—among the people we consistently see where we live, work, and play. Again, we need not travel far to find ourselves in a potential place to share Jesus. You and I are regularly within reach of the same people. For instance, some of us have access to recreation leagues, yoga classes or craft beer clubs. Some of us are band parents or soccer moms, or we routinely wait with other dads as our daughters finish up dance classes. Some of us volunteer with community groups or social service agencies. We have weekly coffee gatherings with the same neighbors or longtime friends. Some of us are at country clubs, community centers, and gyms.  You get the point. We are already in the mission field. We are always standing in a harvest ripe for the picking.
 
We know that Jesus is already out there in our “neighborhoods” doing the heavy lifting of ripening people for their next step towards His Father’s redemption. So every morning, as we head out for a new day of adventure with Jesus, we can ask ourselves these simples questions: What is Jesus up to? Who are these people around me? How can I serve them? And what are they almost ready for?
 
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:16-17)
 
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9)