These days more and more we understand that story is important. Storytelling is important that every culture seems to be wired for story. They prefer to receive important information through stories, not just information. And yet, when it comes to missions mobilization often we just start slipping right into task mode, into information mode. Here’s the statistics here’s the charts. I think it misses a piece of people’s hearts and what motivates them. Often people are already thinking I don’t… I know I don’t pray give and go enough and you’re going to just highlight that for me. And so all that information is important and yet we’d love to advocate for reframing missions away from just task to the larger story that God is telling. That is an invitation to find our place. Our role in this epic narrative that goes from Genesis to Revelation.
So this is really how it is. God is telling… the master storyteller is inviting you and I in on this Epic. That from the beginning you know there’s this there’s a crisis and there’s this promise that there’s going to be a “head crushing” and “heel bruising”. And this theme that just ties the whole story together of God’s desire to bless His people and through His people bless all the nations. And then at the end of the story there is this party, there’s a party at the end of the story! Who is at the party?, the Bride of Christ and she’s made up of every nation, tongue, and tribe. So we can easily make a case that this is not just the task of trying to check off people groups off the list and trying to get workers there and all is very real about hard things. It’s also this privilege to have a role in this Epic that God is telling. That ends with a wedding feast of the Bride marrying the Lamb.
And so I love it. I love highlighting the fact that in this story, important story, you would think only important people get to play. And yet God has an incredible track record of picking “the least of these” to play important roles in this story. Fishermen and tax collectors and shepherds, young kids to play important roles in this Epic story that He’s telling. And so we can easily approach missions mobilization in a way that highlights that reality. God is telling an amazing story. It’s filled with romance. Yeah, there’s a bride there’s a bridegroom. It’s filled with conflict. Yeah, there is a bad guy and it’s overcoming evil with good. It’s “Thy Kingdom come Thy will be done!” All of those things are part of this massive story that we are all invited in on. And not just the important people but the least of these, the weak are invited to play key roles in this story. So all we need to have is this. “I’m available, I’m willing, Here am I Send me”. We don’t need to be great in any other sense. This is Mission mobilization. This is exactly how God is operating. And so we as missions mobilizers, I think, can do well to reframe missions in terms of the story that God is telling and not just the task that needs to be accomplished.
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