Jesus Defined the Mission Field

What Did Jesus Do?

And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the end of the earth.
Acts 1:8

When I was very young the mission field was someplace distant and remote, like Africa or Asia, or South America. As a young adult the mission field was closer, but still quite distant, and certainly still remote, maybe a school on a Native American reservation out West. Now I know that Jesus meant what he said in Acts 1:8, when he defined the mission field to his disciples—it begins at the tip of our nose, and it ends, well it stretches from the tip our nose around the world and back to us.

Defining the mission field in this way, Jesus made something plain to the early Church that has somehow been lost or forgotten by most Christians after twenty centuries—mission is the work of the whole Church. If you have a nose, and can see beyond the end of it, you have a perfect view of the mission field Jesus defined for his followers. And, since for most of us our arms reach beyond the tip of our now, the mission field is within our reach. We don’t have to go halfway around the world (Though, in obedience to Christ, many do go.), and we don’t have to go to some place on the other side of the country (Though, in obedience to the Lord, many do go.). All we have to do is look beyond our nose, and a 360 degree sweep is guaranteed to take in one or more opportunities for mission within the scope of our vision.

Here’s the thing, all you Christians out there with a nose—you are a missionary! Honest. I believe that one of the reasons God gave us a nose was to point us in the direction of the mission field that, in truth, surrounds each and every one of us. Now, if you are not sure you have a nose, or where exactly it ends and the mission field begins, go find a mirror. Seriously, brothers and sisters, mission is the family enterprise of God. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all bound together in the work of sending, going, and conducting the mission of redemption and salvation. And we all, the redeemed who are, in and through the Son by the power of the Spirit, now the adopted daughters and sons of the Father, are part of the mission enterprise of God that continues to bring the Gospel to those who are being saved.

So, if we have a nose, we need to follow it, we won’t have to go far to be on the mission field that Jesus defined. And we don’t have to take time off to plan and go on a mission project, because mission is something that can and should be lived out right where we are every day. That’s what Jesus did.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4