Fan That Flame

Christ came to earth to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). This is still his purpose today, for it is not yet complete; there are many unreached peoples in the world. Scripture tells us that Christ has also passed this mission on to the church. That means you and me.

"As the Father has sent me, so I send you."  John 20:21

The purpose of the church of Christ is to extend the mission of Christ in the world. Enter the Great Commission:

"Jesus came and told his disciples, 'I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.'"  Matthew 28:18-20

It is not just pastors, the rest of the clergy, and vocational missionaries that are called to extend Christ's mission. Is it not unthinkable that the cause for which Christ came, lived, suffered, and died would not be the cause of everyone who loves Christ? I believe that the unfinished mission of Christ to seek and save the lost has been passed on to us, as believers.

This means that we have to be intentional about spending quiet, intimate, personal time with God. We must pray and meditate and partake in corporate worship. We also must be in community and meet with others in a small group, so that as believers we can help each other endure and stir each other up toward love and good works. And we must also be able to move out beyond our Christian fellowship to seek and save the lost, so that they might glorify God for his great mercy.

As Christians, we have definitely tasted the fire of adventure in our lives. It is a great sensational burning and it can consume us and light us within and without. The flame of adventure sends sparks into the blood pumping within our veins and electrifies us. Satan hates that fire. He is continually doing his best to hose down our flame-- our desire for adventure and to involve ourselves in missions. Satan waits with his fire hose to douse even the smallest flickering of a flame in our hearts. But God wants us to fan that flame! I think that as believers we need to seek to fan the flame of fire and excitement for missions in our hearts and lives. Let's find how we can translate our passion for Christ into an active sharing of our faith. It might look different for each person, but we know how we can stoke our own fires, so let's do it!