Jesus' Mission Field
- Paul discusses how Jesus became a servant of the Jews so that the Gentiles would be able to come to know God.
Romans 15:7-9 - “7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. 8 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, so that the promises made to the patriarchs might be confirmed 9 and, moreover, that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy.”
Paul's Mission Field
- Paul was a “minister of Christ Jesus” to the Gentiles. That was his mission field. Paul transitions from talking about Jesus to talking about his own personal mission field.
Romans 15:15-16 - “15 Yet I have written you quite boldly on some points to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. He gave me the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.”
- Paul aims to create disciples who are "offerings acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Remember from a couple weeks ago discussing being "living sacrifices"
Romans 12:1 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God - this is your true and proper worship.”
- How does Paul respond to receiving his mission field? Acceptance and humility
Romans 15:17-20 - “17 Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. 18 I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done - 19 by the power of signs and wonders, through the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. 20 It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation.”
Our Mission Field
- Just as Paul had a mission field, so too God calls each and every one of us into a mission field. We are all called to be a “minister of Christ Jesus”.
- Jesus gives us our "mission statement"
Matthew 28:19-20 “19 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, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”
- Possible mission fields:
- Poverty
- Hunger
- Veterans
- Homeless
- Children without parents
- Specific people groups
- Anything with people!
- Find your personal mission field and dig into what God may be calling you to!
