I love to travel. Even better is traveling with someone who knows where they are going and can organise everything for me! My first overseas experience was as an exchange student where other people picked me up from the airport, arranged all my accommodation, taught me some basics of the language and told me what food I should eat. It was scary (we had to learn to use squat toilets), and fun (waking up to the sounds of monkeys playing in the distance at sunrise). One thing that my first day overseas wasn’t…it wasn’t the beginning of my journey in mission.
Mission starts with Jesus.
The Bible speaks plainly of God’s heart for the nations from beginning to end. His desire to be in relationship with us, His heartbreak when we turn away from Him, and His desire for justice for all people is evident from Genesis to Revelation. God blessed Abraham so that he would be a blessing to the nations, and we are invited to be a part of God’s plan to bring people from every nation, tribe and language together in worship. Jesus is the one through whom this is possible.
If Jesus is the purpose of mission, then your personal involvement needs to come out of your experience of Jesus at work in your own life. Christians often call this their testimony. It is the story of how God has impacted you personally, and, after the Bible, it is your testimony that will have the greatest impact on the people you meet.
Next steps
Take some time now to write out your testimony.
Why is Jesus important to you? How have you experienced God at work in your life?
Try to write it without using “Christian words”.
