What is My Mission Field?

What is My Mission Field?

By Pastor Gary Wayne

I want to refresh our understanding of the Great Commission – the last instructions Jesus gave just before He ascended to the Father.
According to George Barna, 51% of church people have never heard of the Great Commission.

Text: Acts 1:8, Luke 24:45-53, Mark 16:14-20, Matthew 28:18-20

Jesus gave these instructions to us – NOT just clergy – but to believers.
The instructions were: to go, make disciples, teach, and baptize.
These signs will follow those who believe: cast out demons; speak with new tongues, supernatural protection from deadly things, lay hands on the sick."

What have these instruction been boiled down to in our overall church society?
I believe a majority in the American Church un-intentionally believe it’s mostly about going to church on Sunday morning and watching a few people or the pastor do their thing.
It has created a consumer mentality.

Acts 1:8
NIV – “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Amplified – “But you will receive power and ability when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be My witnesses [to tell people about Me] both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth.”

What is the power for? MULTIPAL reasons and uses.
Shair the good news with people, baptize them, disciple them, teaching them to follow the teachings of Jesus, do the signs and wonders Jesus did.
Predominantly for us to be witnesses for Jesus to other people.
What does a witness do? They tell what they have witnessed.
What they have experienced, what they have seen and heard.
OVERALL – the Good News.

A question I want us to individually ask God:
Is what I’m doing as a believer bearing this fruit?

Today I am asking God to create a pardine shift in us.
Pardine shift = a situation in which the usual and accepted way of doing or thinking about something changes completely.
Pardine shift - think in terms of when I wake up to start my day, my first thought is “today my first priority is to fulfill the great commission.”

When I start my day interacting with my family, I am representing Jesus.
I NEED to be filled with the Spirit for this.

When I start my drive to work, I leave 5-10 min early to do what Brenda instructed us as to how to do drive by prayers. “God what direction should I drive today?”
Let’s say you feel a “glancing thought” or idea to drive by the Elementary.

Since I gave myself plenty of time to minister, I drive by the elementary, then around the blocks by the elementary which happens to have lots of families with kids that NEED Jesus.

With this God induced pardine shift in my thinking and action, I intercede for these people, these teachers, these kids who are in DESPERATE NEED of God.

Would you like a list of topics or ideas on how to pray – talk to Brenda.

Maybe you are retired and don’t drive to work every day. Then on your way to the post office, or bank, or store, you: leave 5-10 min early to:

When you get where you are going, you are “on duty for God”, so before you open your car door and go in, you take a few minutes to ask the Holy Spirit to empower you to shift the atmosphere.
As you walk into a store, your goal is to represent Him. WWJD
He is why I live!

There are so many ministry opportunities – we are limited by our thinking.

Are there people and places in our city that NEED you and me to be full of the Holy Spirit and do drive intercession?

Do we realize that God doesn’t need me to represent Him.
He could speak to my neighbor way better than I can.
If he wanted to, he could think a thought in every being on planet Earth could have that thought resonate through their being.
He doesn’t NEED me, but He wants me to be a part of bringing people to the Kingdom.

What does this question mean? “What is my mission field?”
What are the issues that hold me back?

Holy Spirit, create a pardine shift in us.
Fan into flame our desires / our passion for You.