Mission

Pastor Darren's message Sunday really stirred my spirit and I could tell that it resonated with many who heard it. Somewhere over time many churches have determined that mission is a department that is nice to have if funds are available. It is inspiring to hear from missionaries who have gone to a foreign land to bring the gospel, and we are happy to give them an offering and thank God that He didn't call us to be missionaries.
In actuality, God has already called every believer to mission. I recently heard Earl Creps say that mission cannot be separated from church any more than heat can be separated from fire. If we are not focusing on evangelism in equal proportion to discipleship and worship, we are not being the Church the Bible describes.
We will see in the coming months and years that as we begin to reach out and trust God to enlarge our vision, He will also increase our provision to accomplish it. God is not a god of "unfunded mandates". Matt. 6:33 tells us to "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (italics added) Jesus is not telling us to budget our surplus to reach the world. He is telling us to do that first, and He will supply what we need to do the rest.
This biblical principle runs throughout the old and new testaments. Trust God, see God move. Sow bountifully, reap bountifully. Sow in weakness, reap in power.
Thanks, Pastor Darren, for opening our hearts to this great message.
If you didn't get to hear it, go to the website at lakesideassembly.org and listen to the podcast of the message.