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Thursday, August 12, 2010

Thinking about mission and sub-mission

I just heard someone say that their mission was to get a new credit card.  Now that's to die for. 

Thinking about mission.  I heard my son once talk about the inner mission and the outer mission.  By inner mission, I think he was addressing our high, holy call to know Jesus ... to bring every thought captive into obedience to Christ ... to guard our heart, etc.  Outer mission would have to do with helping lost folks become Jesus-followers ... it would be discipling our family and church family to mature and multiply in Christ, etc.  This was helpful, for I am all about relationship with Jesus and life flowing from the relationship.

The more I thought about it, the more I determined that I have only one mission: to know Christ ... or as I have tried to help others rally around ... "to unite with Jesus."  If my single mission is to relate to Jesus, that is, to find out what Jesus thinks and wants about everything, then everything I say and do after knowing and  uniting with Jesus inwardly would be sub-mission. 

By sub-mission, I mean two things: 1) the obvious ... having brought everything to Jesus to find out what He thinks and wants, I submit to His will, for He is my Lord, and all I truly want is what He wants  2) the new spin on sub-mission for me is the idea that, having one mission (to relate to Jesus ... like He related to His Father) then all I say and do can be categorized under sub-mission, that is, a whole raft of secondary missions.  So what I do for my family -  as led by Jesus - is a sub-mission of my primary / single mission - to unite with Jesus.  What I do as led by Jesus for lost folks is a sub-mission of my primary mission.  What I do in the church or in leading the church is a sub-mission of my primary mission - to unite with Jesus.  My life mission "to know Jesus" results in many, many sub-missions ... secondary missions ... all flowing from the single mission of my life: I want to know Him.  What do you think? 

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Hal, I think that as we start to understand that our relations with others, or I should say our mission to others is in direct correlation with our relationship with the Father. What I see is that many compartmentalize their relationship with God away from their everyday lives and are missing out on what God has for them and to share with others through them. If we can just help others understand this is a ALL submission and living - then the transformation will spread - That is my few cents on the topic

Em said...

Your description of the inner mission struck me. I think for me, the mind is the door to my heart, and if I am letting in or entertaining negative thought patterns, I am literally, physically digging negative groves in my brain. If I can say to those thought patterns, "stop" and then with Jesus and others' help, get out of the rut and think of Him and positive things, I can start renewing my mind. Then He can transform it.

I think what I never got before was that the relationship with Jesus is IT. If we aren't solely seeking Him, and allowing Him to transform our minds and heart-members, then how can we help anyone else? It's amazing how the less I try to "force into place" a discipleship relationship and the more I just love people, the more of a position of responsibility God gives me. Yikes. But He is faithful.

Thanks for sharing your heart Pastor Hal.

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