"Mission People"

I like to be with people,

Who want to spread the word,

Who say yes to mission,

Because they love the Lord.

These people are not perfect,

They all have problems, too,

They don’t have all the answers,

They’re just like me and you.

But they have a passion,

For sharing the good news,

They want to spread the love of God,

‘Cause they know that it’s true.

The grace that God has given,

Too good not to share,

A joy that is contagious,

With people everywhere,

And these folks give their money,

And pray a million prayers,

They sacrifice their time and life,

Because they really care.

It seems they’re always asking,

How best to get it done,

To take down all the barriers,

To point them to God’s Son.

Whether it’s the music,

To what the people wear,

How they lead the service,

What they do and where.

It might be a cowboy church,

Or with old hymns and pews,

Songs contemporary,

With lights and smoke and cues.

And I believe God uses,

All who want to serve,

If their hearts are willing,

And can find the nerve,

To try to make connection,

Be all things to all men,

So that the truth is given,

And all invited in.

I love the mission people,

They are Spirit-filled,

I want to be just like them,

I pray the deal is sealed.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…” (Mt. 28:19, NLT)

In the church where I grew up, there were three classes or categories of Christians. There were common, everyday Christians. Then there were people who were in the ministry- pastors, evangelist, music ministers etc. But the third category was the missionaries. We only saw them once or twice a year but they were the spiritual super-stars. Problem is, most of them looked pretty exhausted, and what was intended to motivate us to consider our calling had the opposite effect. It took awhile, but finally I realized that these categories were wrong. All Christians are called to be missionaries, just different kinds. To think otherwise is to miss the fact that Jesus commissioned all His disciples to win the whole world to Him. All of us who believe have the same commission: disciple the rest of the world. Let’s get on with it! Let’s ask the Lord how to be a missionary right where we are and begin right now.

Lord, teach us how to be missionaries everyday, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Steve Boaldin, artofacowboy.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Steve, and God bless you.