The Call

A call to missions is ringing out in the western church. I am hearing the call across diverse segments of the church in the west. From proponents of liberal theology to those of more fundamentalist theological views the call is coming forth. From the emerging evangelicals, the emerging reformed, and from emergent village adherents, a common voice is rising. Christian social activists and Christian college leaders find themselves unified in the call. Leaders who are Charistmatic, Pentecostal, non-denominational , and mainline denominational all agree. Look around for yourself if you don’t want to believe me. The message is coming out from multiple sources. Books, magazines, sermons, websites, podcasts, vodcasts, blogs, music, movies, the cry is loud and clear. We the church of Jesus Christ in the west are being called to a greater focus on missions within the culture in which we live.

To answer the call we need to learn to be missionaries. We need to learn to put aside our own interests and desires to serve this lost generation. We the remnant who are being preserved and set aside need to heed the word of the Lord in this present age and move out into the greater society to bring the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. If not us then who?

Here are some questions you can ask yourself to determine whether you have recognized this call.

1) Have you suffered discomfort in the last year to go out of your way to befriend someone who did not call themselves a Christian?
2) Have you given direct assistance to someone in need with no concern for what it cost you or what benefits there may be in it for you in the last 3 months?
3) Have you prayed for lost people in the secret place of your conversation with God?
4) Does the condition of humanity regularly fill you with sadness?

There are many other questions we could ask. There are many more ways in which we could improve our response to the call.