Commission
"Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you."
—1 Thessalonians 3:1
Each year, we at Faith participate in commissioning several mission teams. We declare that those who go out from us in mission are “Ambassadors” not only of God’s Kingdom, but also of the Faith family.
When I tell friends and colleagues at other churches about our missions involvement, they are consistently astonished, both at the number of trips we take, and the number of participants on those trips.
After participating in so many commissionings, I thought I had a pretty good idea of what to expect this past Sunday as you commissioned the Guatemala trip. I have been looking forward to this trip for many months; but as you commissioned us, the trip became real. I felt a deep joy swell over me, both that I had the opportunity to go, and that the church, my church, was praying for me and sending me out.
I don’t know that I will ever look at these mission commissionings in the same way. In many ways they are “co-missionings,” because those that lift the team up in prayer are partners in all their work.
Homework this week: Pray for the people we will encounter in Guatemala, that God would meet them where they are. That the Holy Spirit would begin drawing them to God. That they would be made aware of their need for our merciful and gracious God. Pray also that God would give us the words to say, and the tasks to do, that God’s love would be displayed.
—1 Thessalonians 3:1
Each year, we at Faith participate in commissioning several mission teams. We declare that those who go out from us in mission are “Ambassadors” not only of God’s Kingdom, but also of the Faith family.
When I tell friends and colleagues at other churches about our missions involvement, they are consistently astonished, both at the number of trips we take, and the number of participants on those trips.
After participating in so many commissionings, I thought I had a pretty good idea of what to expect this past Sunday as you commissioned the Guatemala trip. I have been looking forward to this trip for many months; but as you commissioned us, the trip became real. I felt a deep joy swell over me, both that I had the opportunity to go, and that the church, my church, was praying for me and sending me out.
I don’t know that I will ever look at these mission commissionings in the same way. In many ways they are “co-missionings,” because those that lift the team up in prayer are partners in all their work.
Homework this week: Pray for the people we will encounter in Guatemala, that God would meet them where they are. That the Holy Spirit would begin drawing them to God. That they would be made aware of their need for our merciful and gracious God. Pray also that God would give us the words to say, and the tasks to do, that God’s love would be displayed.