Most Mission: Impossible movies have a scene near the beginning where Ethan Hunt is given an important mission. There’s some global crisis that must be averted, some evil plan that must be foiled, some bad guy who needs to be stopped. The mission usually comes as a recording from some higher-up. “Your mission, should you choose to accept it,” the recording starts.
Those films are exciting not just because of the extraordinary stunts, but also because there’s something exciting about being entrusted with an important mission. Compared to an MI agent, most of us live pretty mundane lives. We get up in the morning and go to work or school, where we spend most of the day doing typical tasks that we’ll do again the following day. Life is routine, not an adventure that would make for a great movie.
But what if I told you that you’ve also been given an important mission where much more is at stake? If you’re a follower of Christ, you’ve been given a mission from the Most High God, and the stakes are eternal.
One of the last thing Jesus did while on Earth was to gather his disciples and give them a mission. “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age’” (Matthew 28:16-20).
This is called the Great Commission, and this mission isn’t just for those Jesus spoke with on the mountain. Through God’s Word, that mission is entrusted to all who follow Christ. That means if you’re a Christian, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to make disciples and teach them to obey everything Jesus has commanded you.
All Christians Can Find Their Unique Ways to Serve God
All followers of Jesus are called to the Great Commission, but we don’t all participate in the same way. Just as the human body has many parts that do different things, the body of Christ also has different roles. Some go into the clergy, some into full-time ministry, some share the gospel in their workplace or classroom, some strike up conversations with strangers in public places, and others use social media. The key to discovering your place in God’s mission is to serve God in the unique way that He has made you. But how can you figure out what that is? Here are a few ideas.
Using talents for God
First of all, look at your talents. What are the things you do well. It could be something you do professionally or something you’re going to school for, or it could be a hobby.
Jessica was a college student pursuing a career in education. She created designs as a hobby but had never considered doing it for anything else. Then she joined an Indigitous Serve Cohort and helped design a booklet to courage people to pray for frontier people groups. “God chose to take a hobby of mine that started up again during quarantine and use it for this mission project,” Jessica says.
James was a filmmaker with a startup focused on brand storytelling. But during one project, he felt God call him to use his filmmaking skills for ministry. “He basically said, ‘This is what I want you to do. I want you to enter into the front lines of my work,’” James says. He left that startup and launched Altaer Creative, a company focused on helping others see and experience God, enter deeper into a relationship with Him, and be radically altered across every aspect of life. James’s place in God’s mission is telling stories about God changing lives.
Like Jessica and James, discovering your place in God’s mission might involve utilizing the skills you’ve used for other things.
Where your interests intersect God’s
It’s not just about skills, though. What are your interests? How do you like to spend your time? Those interests can be a key way of taking part in God’s mission.
During the COVID lockdown, Endz was unable to leave his home, but he felt called to share the gospel. Since he’s an avid gamer, he launched a Twitch channel and started streaming his gaming. He uses his intro to share a Bible verse. Whenever he has an audience, Endz makes sure to share Jesus with them. Sometimes he asks for prayer requests or relates what’s happening in the game to a Bible story. He also leads raids of other streamers so his followers can share the gospel. “One thing about streamers is that they’re looking for a conversation with someone,” he says. Endz has also formed Soul Link, an online youth organization that gamifies discipleship.
Dave is a pastor for a church in Atlanta, but he’s not what you think of when you imagine a pastor. Dave spends most of his time on Instagram and YouTube. “Church attendance isn’t decreasing; it’s decentralizing,” Dave says. He focus on reaching people who will never set foot in his church building, giving sermons, sharing the gospel, making short videos, and having faith conversations on social media.
York, a missionary with Intervarsity, does the same with TikTok. “There isn’t a morning that I wake up that I don’t have hundreds and most times thousands of comments on my recent posts where people have prayed to receive Jesus, where they are telling me their faith story,” York says.
“It’s about taking one small, surrendered step of faith – redeeming your skills, passions, and even weaknesses for eternal impact.
Your Workplace, your WhatsApp,
your Creativity,
Your Storytelling skills and even your limitations — God can use it all.”
– Jaison Abraham
We all have interests, and those interests can be shared with others in a way that glorifies God and shares the gospel. Whether your interest is gaming, social media, blogging, photography, watching classic films, cycling, or whatever, one of those interests could be a key to discovering your place in God’s mission.
Using Your Passions for Jesus
We live in a broken world. There are a lof of things that are wrong, a lot of injustices, a lot of people who need help, and a lot of people who need to know Jesus. What are the things you’re most passionate about? “Start with what you care about most,” James suggests. “When you focus on the problem, then you can reverse engineer from there.”
Priscilla had been interested in missions work since she was a child. She always had a passion for comforting people who are hurting. For 20 years, the retiree has served as an online mentor. People who are struggling with various issues ask for help and, though email, she walks with them, mentors them, and helps lead them toward a deep relationship with Jesus. To Priscilla, mentoring online has been more rewarding than any of the ministry work she has done for her local church. “Becoming a mentor has just taken it to the next level, where you are a little bit more into people’s lives and focusing on their needs and helping them to grow,” Priscilla says. “That’s very satisfying.”
Living on mission in your daily life
Taking part in God’s mission doesn’t mean taking a break from your normal life. You don’t have to carve out extra time to be “on mission.” Instead, it’s better to think about living your life on mission. As you go about your daily life, how can you do so in a way that helps point people toward God? It could mean being intentional about how you use social media. It could mean putting your talents to use in a way that glorifies God. Or it could mean being a good listener to the people in your sphere of influence, whether that means your coworkers, the grocery store cashier, or the people you’re connected with on social media.
“God is asking for us to be pushed out from where we are comfortable to places where we will be cold, naked and vulnerable….but in the light of God, for God to receive all of the glory.”
– Ann Chow
We’re all called to serve God one way or another. The way you do that will be different depending on your talents, interests, and passions. Take some time to pray for wisdom and to consider the unique ways God has made you. Doing so can help you discover your place in God’s mission.