We are a culture that collects quotes.
Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest fuel our love for quippy phrases and inspiring words. (Especially when they are written with eclectic fonts on chalkboards!)
It sounds kind of mission-geeky, but I collect “missional quotes” – quotes that inspire me to live on mission in whatever culture, context, or season of life I’m in. Here are a few of my favorites.
“Wherever you are, be all there.” – Jim Elliot
We are all guilty of being somewhere, but not really showing up.
When we were a small church, I longed to be in a larger one. When we were a church plant, I longed for the days of no set up. When we were in Africa, I longed for America. Now that I’m in America, I long for Africa.
It’s easy to miss moments when our hearts are divided between where we are and some place we long to be.
“Being all there” is a mixture of the simplicity and complexity of moments.
We get the word “moment” from the same word we get “atom.” Moments, like atoms, are so small they can be overlooked. When engaged, moments can become atomic and create a huge impact.
“At our door is the very work we crave” – Lottie Moon
Wherever you live, open your door. Yep! It’s right outside.
Living on mission isn’t something that is programmed; rather it’s the rhythm of living out the gospel where ever we call home.
“We talk of the second coming, but half of the world has never heard of the 1st.” – Oswald J. Smith
Yes, we should live out the gospel wherever we call home. Let us also be willing to relocate our home to where the gospel is not.
Let’s not casually hear about people who have never heard of Jesus, but do everything possible, locally and globally, to make certain they have an opportunity to hear.
“It is not your job to convince people that the gospel is true. It is your job to live convinced that it is.” — Unknown
The first time I heard this, I almost argued with it. It sounds as if we don’t have to share the gospel.
But, if we are living as if the gospel is true, then we are stirred by its urgency, moved by its power, and long to love people as Christ did.
The gospel becomes the cadence by which we live our lives, and our words sound more like a love-conversation and less like a sales-pitch.
“It’s not so much that God has a mission for his church in the world, but that God has a church for his mission in the world” – Christopher Wright
It is imperative to keep this in the right order.
Otherwise, ministry-life easily becomes the vehicle for my personal success.
My identity is in Christ, not my ministry role. I am a believer. As part of the church, I am on God’s mission. And I am leading my church to be part of it.
What’s your favorite “missional” quote?
Share it with us here! I’ve got my quote-collecting notebook ready to write them down!
Published March 23, 2015
