How much of what you have done with your life is eternal? By that I mean how much of your life’s activities will vaporise when this world ends?  When I talk about advancing God’s kingdom, which is the primary calling of every disciple of Christ and the purpose of the Church, I am talking about sowing seeds which are reaped in glory. I am talking about investing our lives in that which transcends this life and impacts people’s eternal reality.

That is why Jesus came – not to establish a temporal, earthly kingdom – but a heavenly, eternal kingdom. We wanted an earthly king and when it became obvious Jesus refused to be that kind of king, we turned on Him and killed Him. Before He left us, Jesus told us to advance the eternal Kingdom of God by preaching what He preached, praying how He prayed, and making disciples of all nations. That was Christ’s mission and that is still Christ’s mission. It’s the only mission we have. The Church does not have a mission.

I don’t care what it says on your newsletter or your website – the Church does not have a mission. Jesus Christ has a mission and His mission has a Church. We are not called to advance the mission of the Church – we are called to partner with Jesus in fulfilling His mission. There is a huge difference between those two.

There is so much about this earthly life that we can enjoy and should enjoy, but if our underlying reason for being here; if our dominate focus, our deepest passion and our highest commitment is not connecting people with Jesus and making disciples, then we have missed the main purpose of our life. It’s all about Him. It’s all about Him.

Friends there are only two jobs in Christ’s mission. Either you are called to go down into the pit to rescue God’s lost children or you are called to hold the rope for those who go down. Either way there will be scars on your hands. Either way there will be a cost to you. Either way the mission of Christ will be the most important reality in your life and it will define who you are; it will define how you live; it will impact every other decision in your life because this mission is birthed in Whose you are. You belong to Jesus … and when you belong to Jesus, He is everything.

So, let me ask you, where are your scars? What has it cost you to be Jesus’ disciple? What has it cost you to be a member of His Church? What has the global mission of Jesus Christ cost you?

How many of the world’s opportunities have you lost or laid aside because you identify with that man on the cross? What sacrifices have you made in this material world so that Jesus can be everything to you and everything in you?

How much time, energy and resources have you invested in being a member of the Church Jesus promised to build?

I say none of this in judgement. I don’t want you to feel guilty or ashamed or inadequate. That is the ministry of Satan. All your guilt, shame and inadequacy fell on Christ when God made Him Who knew no sin to be sin so that you might become the righteousness of God in Him. I am pleading with you to make Jesus everything in your life because that is the life God planned for you. That is the best version of yourself.