For Christians the word ‘mission’ can be explained in different ways. Churches Together in England explores what mission is here.
I LOVE this quote from J. John: “Go on a missions trip – walk next door. It’s cheaper, and you don’t have to fundraise for a year!” (It can be found in this video if you’d like to hear it).
Naturally there is a place for God to send people ‘on mission’ to far-flung places, whether long-term or short. We have experienced the latter a number of times. Having said this, mission is also everyday, everywhere.
Most of us are not called to travel a long way to find our mission field, but we are all called to be on mission with the Holy Spirit in our daily lives, and so each one of us will have a person, group or place that is our mission field.
Matthew 9:35-10:1 says:
Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.
Even if you are saving for a mission trip, how about listening to J. John’s advice? We don’t need slick sales pitches for Jesus; we just need to live as though the hope we have in Jesus is real – because it is!