Missions Month
As we are about to enter November, it is a month known for a number of things. Things like “Movember”, Black Friday sales, the beginning of Christmas decorations, hearing Mariah Carey’s Christmas soundtrack on the radio, last minute winter tire change, and is the beginning of Advent on the last Sunday of the month. However, for us at City on a Hill (COAH) Young Nak, it is also known as Missions Month, where we will be reflecting on the Mission of God.
As we will be reflecting on God’s mission, where “World evangelization requires the whole church to take the whole Gospel to the whole world” (Defined by the Lausanne Congress on World Evangelism in 1974). This is the mission for the church, or to put it more accurately the church for the mission, as Christopher H. Wright (missiologist and Old Testament Scholar) said, “It is not so much the case that God has a mission for his church in the world, as that God has a church for his mission in the world. Mission was not made for the church; the church was made for mission – God’s mission.” We at COAH need to remember that we exist for God’s mission, in which Jesus commissioned in Matthew 28:18-20, for his disciples and all followers that come after. Even our own vision statement states this, “City on a Hill exists to lead peoples near and far to become devoted followers of Jesus Christ.”
Now the next question is, are we (including myself) prioritizing God’s mission and our reason for existence as a church, in our everyday lives and within our church? If not, then like myself (I will have to admit), we need to repent and then pray that God’s mission is not just a periphery or a segment fighting for space in our busy lives, but a strong and committed desire to see the whole Gospel (in word and action) be brought to someone day by day, week by week and so on. This person can be anyone. If a parent, your child(ren), members of our church in our ministries, friends, family, co-workers and so on. Also, I hope that our level of desire and sorrow to reach the people around us can reach the same level as the apostle Paul had for his own people where he said in Romans 9:2-3, “2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers,[a] my kinsmen according to the flesh.” Do we have this level of sorrow and desire in our hearts for the people around us and abroad? I know for myself, that I need to repent and ask God for this sorrow and desire for others to know the Gospel. Let us also not forget to pray and show support for our missionary partners, like Anne Chun in Cambodia. I also hope that more of us would be eager to go to the Men of Faith and Women of Faith mission trips to Cambodia.
To help grow desire and sorrow to be a part of God’s mission, I pray that the Holy Spirit will move through the preaching this month and that the sermons will remind us and compel us to reach the people at home, school, work and play. That Operation Christmas Child (Showbox gift) will remind us of the importance of missions abroad and see if there are other ways to support. Also, the Missions Conference on Nov. 29th, at Young Nak, will encourage us and challenge us. Finally, there will also be an event with TCM in December (more details to come).
May we be a people that repent and ask God to help us grow in desire and action so that we may bring the whole Gospel to the people that God sends our way.
Blessings,
Pastor Edgar