There is great appeal in pursuing exotic or “extraordinary” mission. But the Bible calls us to look a little closer as we live out Jesus’ mission: those in need and our neighbors.
“Africa!” two or three voices rang out. Then it was silent.
I had just asked a couple hundred folks in a Sunday service, “What do you think of when you think of missions?” “Africa!” was the lone response.
“Anything else?” More silence. The exact same interchange happened at the second service. Different people, but exactly the same question, single answer, same follow-up, same silence. “Missions = Africa.” Exclusively.
Two Sides of the Same Coin
There is great appeal in pursuing the “extraordinary” (in the literal sense—“outside the ordinary”) when it comes to mission. That’s why “Africa” is an easy thought: It’s glamorous. It makes for great stories. And the impact can be tangible, even measurable.
But closer than Africa, the Bible displays two primary groups of people that God sends us to as we live out his mission: those in need and our neighbors.
Jesus’ brother James sums up both well: “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (James 1:27). And a few verses later, “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing well” (James 2:8).
It seems that many Christians often have an easier time with one of those commands or the other. We’ll pursue neighbors at the expense of those in need, or those in need at the expense of our neighbors. Or if we’re really honest, some of us are uncomfortable or scared of mission altogether, so we pursue neither.
The problem is that God doesn’t make these distinctions. From Genesis to Revelation, God often uses his ordinary people in his work of redeeming other ordinary people. Wherever we live, we have an everyday mission field comprised of both our neighbors and those in need. But living on mission in each of those groups takes different types of intentionality.
It’s Hard to Love Our Neighbors
The gospel is divisive. As the saying goes, “Never talk about religion or politics.” Many relationships change when faith enters a conversation. Our client might be offended and find a new provider. That classmate might think we’re weird and sit next to someone else tomorrow. Our neighbor might vacate his half-mowed lawn and scurry away until we go back inside. In fact, God promises responses like this: “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18).
