It is not unusual for businesses and enterprises to have “mission statements” to outline their objectives, goals, philosophy, and proposed impact their products or services are intended to have.
When you think about it, the “statement” is a great way to bring focus to an image about an outcome, or the goal of an organization. It is also a way for there to be creative control over how we would like people to envision us, our message, and our ethics and values as we seek our mission. In short, our mission statement holds us accountable for what we seek to accomplish and it includes the culture we seek to generate in the process of reaching this mission.
Do you have a mission statement? Are you involved in something where you have “bought-in” to its image, message, and mentality? If you are employed then to a degree you share something of the company’s “mission” whether it be in baby care, athletic activewear, intellectual property law, or even that entrepreneurial zest.
When I worked at NikeTown, San Francisco in the Union Square of San Francisco, CA, as a sales floor associate, I was all in. Everything was Nike. Socks, shoes, T-shirts, jackets, watches, even my gifts were Nike. I was all in on the apparel, the knowledge of our products, and its work culture. What was my mission? To find out what our customer’s athletic needs were and match them with the proper activewear so they can achieve their goals. So when I had track and field athletes, we went over to running wear, and when I worked with the head coach of a major league soccer club we went over soccer wear. I was all in on our mission and committed to it. I loved my time there.
Then there were those jobs I had no investment in its mission. It was just a job, just a paycheck, and I did as little as possible. I came in late. I
It is not even about personal aspirations.
So the question posed here again is: Do you have a “mission statement”? Yes, this is a spiritual double entendre – I have another meaning in mind.
First, let us begin with a few ideas. Everything around us that we see on Earth and in the universe is the result of a Creator. It is unfortunate that some do not acknowledge this truth but suppress it (Rom 1:18).
To this point, the apostle Paul writes:
For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. (Romans 1:19–20 ESV)
The world is evidence within itself that there is a creator of limitless power and intelligence, and he is to be acknowledged by us – the product of his creation (Psa 8:3–8) – in the way we live.
The quote ends with the strong indictment that if we do not acknowledge His existence we are “without excuse” (Rom 1:20). The word has a litigious background, and essentially means that in the cosmic courtroom such are “without defense” (Gk. anapologetos).
No words, no smooth arguments, no loopholes, nothing will be grounds for a mistrial; there is simply no excusable rationale for rejecting the existence of a Creator as revealed in nature which bears the marks of intelligent design and infinite power.
Moreover, such a Creator by virtue of His very nature has the right to demand faithful service from His creative progeny – humanity (Gen 1:26–30, Rom 1:18, 21–23; 9:19–21). If we mortal parents may expect by virtue of our position to hold authority over our children, how can we expect the Father of all to hold any less authority?
Second, every expectation to obey God’s will (= Law/commandment) is a reflection of His holiness and the expectation that humanity will take upon themselves the freedom to make a choice to obey or to disobey.
This freedom of choice is reflected very clearly in the historical narrative of Adam and Eve as they are given everything in the Garden of Eden save the right to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The stated consequence should such an infraction occur, the Lord said, is “death.”
It is not told to us how long or short the first family lived in compliance with this expectation of behavior in the garden; however, it is revealed to us that unfortunately Eve gave in to temptation as did Adam. As the initial consequence, the first couple was expelled from the Garden and lost access to the Tree of Life (Gen. 3).
Sin it is said by John, the apostle, is the rejection of God’s law (1 John 3:4). In fact, it is an expression of a lack of love and a lack of fidelity to God (1 John 5:2). Hence, what we have been given in this freedom of choice is an ability to decide our relationship with God – will we show love and fidelity, or will we show a lack thereof?
Freedom of choice is a powerful instrument of human behavior. With it, we fall from grace and the stature of one made in the image of God (Rom 3:9–18, 23), and by it we return to God and submit our powers of decision into the hands of a forgiving and holy God (Rom 2:4; 3:26).
At every instance, then, we have a choice. Will we make those choices that inherently become less as we expend more earthly time on His service or our own selfish ambitions? Surely, our plans can only be enhanced by submitting to the Mind of God (Prov 16:25; Isa 55:8–9).
Third, while we may enjoy the blessing of freedom of choice it is a privilege that swings two ways. Much like the tongue, by our choices, we may praise God or reject him (Jas 3:45). As a consequence of our decisions, sin is a common problem to all accountable individuals (Ezek 18:20). And yet, in Jesus we are given the saving message of rebirth (John 3:4), of salvation (1 Thess 1:10), and a new creation (2 Cor 5:17).
If in our sinful choices, we have lost our identity as the image of God, then surely our choices which reflect our recreation in Christ amount to a new plan of action in our lives. Paul, the apostle, writes that when we are saved we are remade to walk in certain works He has assigned us to accomplish (Eph 2:10).
What’s your mission statement? While we have freedom of choice, when a person chooses to become a Christian that person has committed to live as God directs, as Christ reflects, so that our living connects His mission with our mission in this world.
The Lord’s mission was to reconcile the world back to Himself:
[I]n Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 8:19–20 ESV)
Notice how Paul acknowledges that his mission is the same as God’s mission: to appeal to others through the message of the Gospel to announce how God is reconciling the world to himself.
Christians are those recreated in Christ, and our “mission” is to help other people see God’s abundant love found in the Gospel. Our mission matters because our mission is supposed to be His mission. So how does your “mission” add up?
Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth. (Genesis 11:9)
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
“In the beginning”, when God created humans we were to be fruitful and multiply and subdue the earth with our presence (Gen. 1.26). Despite this explicit decree from heaven, we decided to build a commune – a great edifice that stretched out to the heavens (Gen. 11.1-9). A monument… a testimony… a legacy…
In some translations, the narrative may be versed in gentle terms, but it seems quite clear that God viewed such behavior as an act of rebellion. It was after all a united act of unbelief – trusting in themselves and in temporal material possessions.
God made a quick on-site inspection of the construction and concluded that it would be ground zero for future anarchy (Gen 11.5-6). In His Divine wisdom, God confused their languages to the point that people who had once been united we now incapable to continue this project (Gen. 11.7-8).
The net effect was the geographical dispersion of the human family upon the planet, each with corresponding languages and their respective dialects (Gen. 11.9).
I have been thinking over this historical narrative of the origin of the diversity of human languages. I see in the teaching and actual progression of the Gospel a reversal of the Tower of Babel event. Many years ago F. F. Bruce provided a series of short but illuminating chapters about the development of human language, and how God used these tools in the communication of his world. I highly recommend this “oldie but goodie,” The Books and the Parchments (1984).
The Gospel is to go out into the whole world, and all nations are to hear the teachings of Jesus, every person no matter what language they speak, no matter what skin pigmentation they possess, no matter what socio-economic demographic they sprout from, today all can be disciples of the teachings of Jesus, united with the description called “in Christ.”
In Paul’s own time, he was confident in the spread of the gospel:
And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister. (Colossians 1:21–23)
Just a thought… there are always people building their legacy that runs contrary to God’s will, should we have the opportunity, let’s tell them about the legacy of Jesus that brings us to heaven… and they can build a legacy that will endure into eternal bliss.
It’s something to think about.
Hymn: The Gospel is for All
It is a staggering thought when you think about it. Christians have gifts to share with their neighbors. Much like the old nativity hymn of the three orient kings, who came from the far east with rich gifts for the newborn king Jesus, Christians have gifts to share with the people they come in contact with every day. In a word, we have a calling. It is greater than Toys for Tots, it is greater than Secret Santa, it is greater than the presents carefully wrapped and laid under the Christmas tree. The gifts Christians have are those which come from God, they are packaged by him and must be shared.
When the apostle Peter wrote to the beleaguered Christians in the northeastern Roman provinces of Asia (1 Peter 1:1), he wrote to encourage them to embrace the slander and the social persecution with the reminder that they walk in the footsteps of Jesus (1 Peter 2:21). For example, should they suffer unjustly —as did Jesus— the suffering will bring about the opportunity to extend grace to the world. Furthermore, the Christian must not focus on the momentary suffering but instead upon God’s validation and vindication. As God vindicated the suffering servant Jesus, so will He vindicate his suffering people (4:1).
As an extension of this moral encouragement, the apostle goes on to address very practical aspects of Christian living in chapter 4. Here is an excellent moment to pause and reflect upon the truth that doctrinal purity is important, but these Christians are called to practice godliness in the face of persecution. In one of the summarizing passages of this exhortation, Peter writes the following:
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 4:10–11 ESV)
A point that is not readily notable from the English version is the connection between gift (charisma) and grace (charitos) in verse 10. They are built on the same word root, which was interconnected at the social level. It portrays God as a benefactor —a gift giver— for his people and asks them (us) to also be gift-givers (benefactors) as well.
This makes the term “good stewards” (oikonomoi) equally enlightening. It is a word that has domestic and political usage, and this usage is seen in the New Testament documents. In the ESV, the word is translated as “manager” of domestic affairs (Luke 12:42, 16:1, 3, 8; Gal 4:2), and once as “treasurer” which would have been a political office in Rome (Rom 16:23). As here in 1 Peter 4:10, “steward” in passages that emphasizes a conservatorship over a given responsibility (1 Cor 4:1-2, Tit 1:7). It was a well known Greco-Roman phenomenon that members of a benefactor’s household were also “brokers” of the gifts of the head of their household. The imagery of Peter’s message is parallel to this type of behavior.
Christians as members of God’s house are blessed by their Father’s gifts so that they may be brokers of God’s grace. We are in a very real way representatives of God’s house and what we offer in a variety of ways is the very gift of God — Jesus Christ and the gospel message. We are to teach it, we are to proclaim it, but most importantly we are to live it. Below, we will consider the points left behind in this section by the Spirit through Peter in verse 11.
One of the overarching themes of the film, Waiting for Superman, a 2010 documentary on the American education system, is that many within the system are waiting for someone to fix it, to do the hard work to shore up its failures. Instead, such systemic problems will only be fixed by teachers and educational leaders working together and initiating helpful and creative programs. There is no one person who can fix the educational system of America, all resources must come together. The same is true with sharing the gift of Jesus and His gospel.
Every Christian (woman and man) must remember that our gift is a gift of words. Not just words, but words of God. For this reason, when a Christian shares the gospel it truly is God’s gift of grace we are sharing. We must not speak our words. We must not speak from our own anger. We must not speak our theories of the word. We must not speak our “pet” religious opinions. We must not speak from any other basis other than from the depository of God’s word — found only in the Scriptures. Our words must be as if it were God talking. God’s word is the only true gift (1 These 2:13).
Christian activity is always dramatically presented as services rendered as one who waits on tables, doing as told by their superior (Acts 6:2; John 2:5). Every Christian (woman and man) must remember that our gift is also a gift of action — of service. Christians broker God’s grace with others with the service we render to other people. Edgar Guest was spot on with this passage when he penned the opening lines of his poem, “I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day; I’d rather one should walk with me than merely tell the way” (“I’d Rather See a Sermon Than Hear One Any Day”). Indeed, there is no greater opportunity in life than to serve as an example of God’s grace to others.
Words can be misunderstood. Actions, however, are less so. But, serving others often comes with a tall price. Service is not convenient emotionally, or physically. It is perhaps for this reason that Peter says that Christians who serve others do so and are empowered by the strength supplied by God. We do not serve others based on our own merits. It is a hard lesson for so many of us, but we need to trust in God for Him to be God when we are serving others. Whether it is food, clothing, or shelter that we offer as expressions of God’s varied graces, we do so, trusting that God will make our service His gift and that alone should empower us to serve.
Whether it’s the best of times or the worst of times, Christians can make a mark in the world and in the times in which they live. My prayer for all of us is to be the Christians we are called to be. Be the best gift you can be to your family and friends in word and service. Let it be the kind that brings glory to God and not to self. Remember, to say, “it’s not about me… it’s about Him.” “To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen” (4:11).
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