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Mission Comes From God

By Doug Franklin June 24, 2013

A mission is a special assignment from God, your unique purpose in life.  It is one of the most exciting concepts in Scripture.  To know that God chose you from the billions of other people on this earth to carry out a specific job for Him is an awesome thing.  Don’t think that He chose you because He needs you.  He chose you because of how He made you, along with the experiences you’ve had and the tools He has given you.

God gave you your mission.  You can do two things:  accept it or run from it.   If you are not faithful with your mission, He will pass you by.  He allows us despite, or even because of, our failures to be a part of the work He’s doing.  He’s calling you to discover your mission and work alongside what He’s doing in the Kingdom.   There are many biblical examples of mission.  Read each of the following 3 examples and then identify the mission and response to the mission.

“As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.  ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’ At once they left their nets and followed him.” (Matthew 4:18-20)
Mission: _________________________________________________________
Response: _______________________________________________________

“The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: ‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.’  But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish.  He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port.  After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.” (Jonah 1:1-3)
Mission: _________________________________________________________
Response:________________________________________________________

“On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: ‘Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.  For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’  Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city.  When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying … They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. (Acts 9:4-5,12-14)
Mission: _________________________________________________________
Response: _______________________________________________________

In the examples above, Peter and Andrew immediately obeyed.  On the other hand, Jonah tried to run.  He suffered severe consequences until finally he accepted God’s mission.  Even then God had to teach Him more about His compassion and grace.  Finally, the remaining eleven disciples obeyed Jesus and went back to Jerusalem to wait for the Holy Spirit.  The question is: What will you do when God gives you your mission?

Mission comes with responsibility.  Since you are unique, you are the only one that can accomplish it. God has not called multiple people to that mission. He has called you. Therefore, you have a responsibility to accomplish it.  No one else is as gifted at your mission as you are.  Your faithfulness following God will open up other doors and give more responsibility.

As you saw with Jonah, turning to run will make you miserable.  It states in Romans 11:29 that God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable.  You cannot send it back or ask for another mission.  Running away is not an option either.  Sometimes it may change and as you learn more it always grows. In the end it comes down to you.  The next move – and responsibility for it – is yours.

Mission demands action. God called David as a boy and he took on a giant.  He’s calling you to something great, not because you’re so great, but because He is!  As you start to move into your mission, know that God will provide all you need.  He will give you the gifts you need.  He has called you because He knows you can do it.  Don’t let your flaws, failures or doubts get in the way.  You can accomplish it with His help.  If you say you can’t do it, you are saying more about God than you are about yourself.  With God working in you, there is nothing you can’t accomplish.  Your role will be to develop your faith in God and move into action.

About the Author

Doug Franklin

Doug Franklin is the president of LeaderTreks, an innovative leadership development organization focusing on students and youth workers. Doug and his wife, Angie, live in West Chicago, Illinois. They don’t have any kids, but they have 2 dogs that think they are children. Diesel and Penelope are Weimaraners  who never leave their side. Doug grew up in…  Read More