38 Becoming A World-Class Christian

 

 

 

PURPOSE # 5

 

 

You Were Made For A Mission

 

 

The Fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,

and he who wins souls is wise.

Proverbs 11:30

 

 

38 Becoming a World-Class Christian

 

 

Jesus said to his followers,

"Go everywhere in the world,

and tell the Good News to everyone."

Mark 16;15

 

Send us around the world with

the news of your saving power

and your eternal plan for all mankind.

Psalm 67:2

 

 

The Great Commission is your commission.

You have a choice to make.

You will be either a world-class Christian or a worldly Christian.

A Mind for Missions - Paul Borthwick

Worldly Christians look to God primarily for personal fulfillment.

They are saved, but self-centered.

Their prayers focus on their own needs, blessings, and happiness.

It's the "me-first" faith:

How can God make my life more comfortable?

They want to use God for their purposes

instead of being used for his purposes.

 

In contrast, world-class Christians know

they were saved to serve and made for a mission.

They are eager to receive a personal assignment

and excited about the privilege of being used by God.

World-class Christians are the only fully alive people on the planet.

Their joy, confidence, and enthusiasm are contagious

because they know they're making a difference.

They wake up each morning

expecting God to work through them in fresh ways.

Which type of Christian do you want to be?

 

God invites you to participate in the greatest, largest, most diverse,

amd most significant cause in history—his kingdom.

History is his story.

He's building his family for eternity.

Nothing matters more, and nothing will last as long.

 

From the book of Revelation

we know that God's global mission will be accomplished.

Someday the Great Commission will be the Great Completion.

In heaven an enormous crowd of people from

"every race, tribe, nation, and language"

Revelation 7;9

will one day stand before Jesus Christ to worship him.

Getting involved as a world-class Christian will allow you

 to experience a little of what heaven will be like in advance.

 

It has never been easier in history

to fulfill your commission to go the the whole world.

The great barriers are no longer distance,

cost, or transportation.

The only barrier is the way we think.

To be a world-class Christian you must make some mental shifts.

Your perspective and attitudes must change.

 

 

How To Think Life A World-Class Christian

 

 

Shift from self-centered thinking to other-centered thinking.

"My friends, stop thinking like children.

Think like mature people."

1 Corinthians 14:20

This is the first step to becoming a world-class Christian.

God commands,

"Don't think only about your own affairs,

but be interested in others, too."
Philippians 2:4

 

Of course, this is a difficult mental shift

because we're naturally self-absorbed

and almost all advertising encourages us to think of ourselves.

The only way we can make this paradigm switch is

by a momet-by-moment dependence on God.

Fortunately he doesn't leave us to struggle on our own.

"God has given us his Spirit.

That's why we don't think the same way

that the people of this world think."
1 Corinthians 2:12

 

With practice you can develop the habit of praying silent

"breath prayers" for those you encounter.

Say, "Father, help me to understand

what is keeping this person from knowing you."

You can learn how to do this

by adopting the mind-set of Paul, who said,

"I don't think about what would be good for me

but about what would be good for many pelple

so that they might be saved."

1 Corinthians 10:33

 

Shift from local thinking to global thinking.

God is a global God.

He has always cared about the entire world.

"God so loved the world..."

John 3:16

"From one person God made all nations

 who live on earth, and he decided

when and where every nation would be.

God has done all this,

so that we will look for him

and reach out and find him."

Acts 17:26-27

 

"This same Good News that came to you is

going out all over the world.

It is changing lives everywhere,

 just as it changed yours."

Colossians 1:6

 

The first way to start thinking globally is

to begin praying for specific countries.

World-class Christians pray for the world.

'If you ask me,

 I will give you the nations;

all the people on earth will be yours."

Psalm 2;8

 

Prayer is the most important tool for your mission in the world.

People may refuse our love or reject our message,

but they are defenseless againt our prayers.

The Bible tells us to pary for opportunities to witness,

Colossians 4:3; Romans 1:10

for courage to speak up,

Ephesians 6:19

for those who will believe,

John 17:20

for the rapid spread of the message,

2 Thessalonians 3:1

and for more workers.

Matthew 9:38

Prayer makes you a partner with others around the world.

 

You should also pray for missionaries

and everyone else involved in the global harvest.

"You are also joining to help us

when you pray for us."

2 Corinthians 1:11

 

Another way to develop global thinking is

to read and watch the news with "Great Commission eyes."

The best way to switch to global thinking is to just get up

and go on a short-term mission project to another country!

There's simply no substitute for hands-on,

real life experience in another culture.

 

In Acts 1:8 Jesus gave us a pattern for involvement:

"You will tell everyone about me

in Jerusalem, in all Judea, in Samaria,

and everywhere in the world."

Acts 1:8

Note that our commission is simultaneous, not sequential.

While not everyone has the missionary gift,

every Christian is called to be on a mission

to all four groups in some way.

Are you an Acts 1:8 Christian?

 

Set a goal to participate in a mission project

to each of these four targets.

I urge you to save and do whatever it takes to participate

 in a short-term mission trip overseas as soon as possible.

Nearly every mission agency can help you do this.

It will enlarge your heart, expand your vision,

stretch your faith, deepen your compassion,

and fill you with a kind of joy you have never experienced.

It could be the turning point in you life.

 

Shift from "here and now" thinking to eternal thinking.

To make the most of your time on earth,

you must maintain an eternal perspective.

This will keep you from majoring on minor issues

and help you distinguish

between what's urgent and what's ultimate.

'We fix our eyes not on what is seen,

but on what is unseen.

For what is seen is temporary,

but what is unseen is eternal."

2 Corinthians 4:18

 

Don't trade your life for temporary things.

Jesus said,

"Anyone who lets himself be distracted

from the work I plan for him

is not fit for the Kingdom of God."

Luke 9:62

Paul warned,

"Deal as sparingly as possible

with the things the world thrusts on you.

This world as you see

it is on its way out."

1 corinthians 7:31

 

"Let us strip off anything

that slows us down or holds us back."

Hebrews 12:1

Jesus told us to

 "store up your treasures in heaven."

Matthew 6:20-21

 

Jesus said,

"I tell you, use worldly wealth

to gain friends for yourselves,

so that when it is gone,

you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings."

Luke 16:9

What he meant was that you should use

the money God gives you to bring people to Christ.

It's the best financial investment you'll ever make.

 

You've probably heard the ｅxpression

"You can't take it with you"—but the Bible say

you can sent it on ahead

by investing in people who are going there!

"By doing this

they will be storing up

real treasure for themselves in heaven—

it is the only safe investment for eternity!

And they will be living

a fruitful Christian life down here as well."

1 Timothy 6:19

 

Shift from thinking of excuses to thinking of creative ways

to fulfill your commission.

If you are willing,

there is always a way to do it,

and there are agencies that will help you.

Here are some common excuses:

 

 "I only speak English."

This is actually an advantage in many countries

where millions of people want to learn English

and eager to practice it.

 "I don't have anything to offer."

Yes, you do.

Every ability and experience in your shape

can be used somewhere.

 "I'm too old (or too young)."

Most mission agencies have

age-appropriate short term projects.

 

"'Don't say that,' the LORD replied,

'for you must go wherever I send you

and say whatever I tell you.

And don't be afraid of the people,

for I will be with you

and take care of you.'"

Jeremiah 1:7-8

 

We are all called to fulfill God's five purposes for our lives:

to worship, to fellowship, to grow like Christ,

to serve, and to be on mission with God in the world.

We are all called to be on-mission for God.

He wants his whole church to take

the whole gospel to the whole world.

From the Lausanne Covenant

 

Many Christians have missed God's plan for their lives

because they have never even asked God

if he wanted them to serve as a missionary somewhere.

 

If you want to be like Jesus,

you must have a heart for the whole world.

There are over 6 billion people on earth,

and Jesus wants all his lost children found.

Jesus said,

only those

who throw away their lives for my sake

and for the sake of the Good News

will ever know

what it means to really live!"

Mark 8:35

 

The Great Commission is your commission,

and doing your part is the secret to living a life of significance.

 

 

 

 

DAY THIRTY-EIGHT

Thinking About My Purpose

 

 Point to Ponder: The Great Commission is my commission.

 

Verse to Remember: "Send us around the world

with the news of your saving power

and your eternal plan for all mankind."

Psalm 67:2

 

Question to Consider: What steps can I take to prepare to go on

a short-term missions experience in the next year?

 

 

p 297~304

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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