Three Types of Mission
Heaven knows what you all did today !
We met with our young people a short time ago to present mission opportunities to them. The youth are quite interested in assisting others. When I told them Jesus calls us to provide two different types of mission they were puzzled. "Isn't mission when we do things to help the poor, ?" one junior high student asked.
"Of course it is", I replied. Then we turned to the scriptures.
First read Matthew 25:31-40, the helping the needy mission instruction. Christ advises us all, "When I was hungry, you fed me; thirsty and you gave me drink"
The reply received was a question: "When Lord did we see you hungry and thirsty?"
Jesus replied: " I tell you, whenever you did this for one of the least important of these brothers of mine, you did it for me."
Now read Matthew 28: 16-20, the last guidance Jesus gave to His disciples before ascending into heaven, " Go, then, to allpeoples everywhere and make them my disciples: baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit... and, lo, I am with you always even unto the end of the world.
Activity:
Make a list of all mission activities in which church members are taking part in. In our church this included working at an outdoor soup kitchen in New York City, travelling to El Salvador each summer, making sandwiches for the poor, visiting the sick, singing Christmas carols at local nursing homes and the like.
After making list ask the youth what type of mission was being provided. For example, the sandwhich making was done once a month with a variety of church members present from youth to senior citizens. Clearly it was the Matthew chapter 25 mission but we had decided to make stickers with Bible verses printed on them. These stickers were attached to sanwich bags into which the sandwiches were wrapped. Thus, the gospel message was being sharred, a Matthew chapter 28 mission.After all church missions are so discussed ask youth which missions have the most meaning to them and make plans for youth to join the missions chosen.
A Third Mission: The Way we Live our Christian Lives:
Mission moments can be subtle. Here is my story.
As a young teenager I was interested in church but less than many other things. Who would win the big junior high basketball game with a local rival was much more important. Then, the simplest of events changes everything.
It was New Year's Eve and our family went to church on New Year's Eve. We youth were not so thrilled. We were sent to the basement for two hours to enbtertain ourselves while our parents drank coffee and tea for two hours upstairs. They just assumed we would enterttain ourselves.
At 11:00 PM we met for our service and I was looking forward to yelling out, "Happy New Year" in an hour and going home. At 11:55 ther we heard the church door open and a couple entered. We were just about to sing a final hymn. We greeted them and the gentleman stated that they had been driving from Brooklyn, New York, fifty miles away, since 7:00 PM looking for a church that was open and finally found one at 11:55. It was a journey of fifty plus miles and almost five hours of driving. We welcomed them, sang a hymn and said a prayer. They left shortly thereafter and I never saw them again.
That was fifty seven years ago and I must say I have never experienced such faith. For a fourteen year old boy they were missionairies that made a difference in my growth of faith.
For adult leaders, if you have experienced a special missionary bringing a message from God, end your discussion by sharing it. If not, feel free to share my story.
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