by Patrick Sawyer, Missional Living Pastor
In 1965, University of Florida assistant football coach Dewayne met with a group of scientists to see why so many Florida football players were struggling with energy in the heat. The football player had no fuel or energy, so this group of scientists got together and did some research, and out of this came the development of the sports drink Gatorade. Gatorade was designed to help fuel athletes to help them perform at an optimal level. As a Christian, have you ever wondered what fuels our desire and passion for missions?
In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus gives us the Great Commission to go and make disciples of all nations. Jesus also told us in Acts 1:8 that we would be His witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the world. When it comes to being obedient to the Great Commission, what fuels us? What drives us toward this obedience? As Christians, we have the Holy Spirit, who dwells inside us and empowers us to go and live on mission, but the Bible also tells us we can quench the Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19). So what can we do or how can we not quench the Spirit and allow the Spirit to fuel us for God's mission? To answer this question, we will examine two verses in the gospels.
Mark 3:14 "And he appointed twelve so they might be with him and he might send them out to preach."
Matthew 4:19 "And he said to them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."
Often when we read these verses, we tend to focus so much on preaching and spreading the gospel, which is very important, and we skip entirely over the first part of the verse. In both of these verses, the first very important truth we see is that before Jesus would send the disciples out for His mission, he would first call them into a relationship with Himself. Jesus knew that for his disciples to love others and be obedient to God's Mission, they must first have a love for God and have intimacy with Him.
In his book Unburdened, Vance Pittman stated, "We need to understand that being with Jesus is the ultimate pursuit of our lives. Being with Jesus always comes before doing anything. Doing flows from being, not the other way around."
In his book The Titus Ten, Josh Smith stated, "The first call of Jesus is to follow him. We respond by submitting ourselves to Him as a slave. As we come to know Jesus more, He calls us into a deeper relationship. He is calling you into sonship, friendship, and intimate love. He is calling you to move toward intimacy. And as we move in that direction toward God, we will be able to move in that direction toward others."
We see this play out in the ministry of Paul. We know the apostle Paul, then Saul, in Acts chapter 8, approved of the stoning of Stephen, and then great persecution came upon the Christians, and they left Jerusalem and scattered all throughout Judea and Samaria. In Acts chapter 9, Saul is going to Damascus to persecute more Christians and encounters the risen Jesus. Saul is converted and becomes a Christian. In Acts 9:20, Scripture tells us he immediately proclaimed the gospel in Damascus. Where did Paul get his knowledge? Where did Paul get his fuel and passion for the gospel?
Paul reveals this to us in Galatians 1:11-17, "" For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus."
Notice after Paul became a Christian, he did not consult with anyone or go to the apostles in Jerusalem to learn from them. I believe Paul spent time with Jesus growing in his love for God and his intimacy with God. As Paul grew in his intimacy with God, this overflowed into his passion and fuel for God's mission. Just like the disciples, Jesus knew that for Paul to love others and have a passion for God's mission, he would first need to love God and spend time with Him.
As Christians, God has also called us to His mission, and just like the disciples and Paul, God knows if we are to love others and have a desire and passion for His mission, we must first have a love for God and have intimacy with Him. Our intimacy with God is what fuels our passion for His mission. Scripture tells us that God loves the nations, and he desires the nations to know Him and worship Him. As we spend time with Him, we love Him more, our hearts are in sync with His heart, and we start to love the nations and have a desire to see the nations know Him and worship Him.
So how do we grow in our love and intimacy with God? How do we put ourselves in a position for the Holy Spirit to empower us and drive in us a passion for God's mission (Acts 1:8)? By spending time with God through His Word daily. We must read His Word, study His Word, memorize His Word. We must meditate on His Word day and night (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:2; 119:15, 23, 78, 97, 148). We must also spend time with God through prayer (1 Chronicles 16:11; 2 Chronicles 7:14; Nehemiah 1:4-11; Matthew 6:6, 9-13; Mark 1:35; Acts 2:42; Romans 12:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Hebrews 4:16).
I also believe we must spend time in community. In Acts 2:42-47, we see a picture of a true biblical community. These believers were coming together and worshipping, reading God's Word, praying, fellowshipping, and observing the ordinances. I believe by doing this in community, they were growing in their relationship with God and being fueled for missions. Verse 47 states, "and the Lord added to their number daily, which I believe means their "togetherness" fueled their passion and desire for God's mission because it deepened their knowledge and relationship with God and with each other.