On Mission: Giving Life Purpose

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” – Acts 1:8

Mission is not about “mission statements” or being “on-purpose” in a tag-line cliché way.  True mission can be alluded to in these terms, but mission is much deeper than those things by themselves.  At its heart, mission is about vocation, calling, and kingdom vision.  It sits in the heart of every person in the form of the question that all must answer: what am I here for?

This question can only be answered satisfactorily by a mission that is deep enough, important enough, and difficult enough to call all of our being into action.  The grand narrative story of the restoration of the world calls us if we are willing to listen.  For the early church, the mission happened in an almost automatic way because they were so passionate about what they were doing.  Their mission was not homework or a burden.  It was an explosion of joy (Newbigin 1989, 116).

The Question of What Am I Here For?

From college career guidance offices to hospital death beds, the question of life’s purpose is constantly on the lips of humanity.  We whisper it when making big decisions about life.  We shout it when life gets difficult.  It is underneath the surface of countless conversations and problems.

This question can be viewed at both the micro and macro levels.  At the macro level, the question is connected to the purpose of man.  Materialism, humanism, nihilism and a whole host of other random “isms” have all attempted to answer this macro question.      The “micro” look at this question results in questions about career decisions, how one might spend money, and how they spend their time.  Under the surface of many decisions in our lives, this question is present.  Our actions betray our beliefs and how we ultimately answer it.

The Outflow of a Life of Purpose from a Life on Mission

The “why” question is rooted in the biblical concepts of vocation, calling, and God’s grand plan for humanity.  Ultimately, our mission is connected to God’s mission and metanarrative story of redemption.[1]  When we place our story in this universal story we find deep purpose (Newbigin 1989, 150).  For this reason we are most alive when loving others and giving ourselves.  This is our purpose for living.  That is why Jesus said that those who lose their lives will find them (Chan 2009, 96).

While all Christians are called to participate in God’s kingdom vision for the world, we each have a unique part to play in this mission.  Christ gave us the grand mission, but finding our part in this mission is where the fun comes in (Benner 2004, 96).[2]  Os Guinnes argues that answering God’s unique call on our lives is “the ultimate why” for living and is our answer to the highest purpose in human existence (Guinnes 2003, 3).  It places our focus outside of this world where it was meant to be, and gives us correct orientation.

The Intersection of Mission with Community and God

True mission is inextricably linked to both community and God (in the person of the Holy Spirit).  By itself, mission can be disastrous.  There are plenty of missions that have been undertaken that have caused much more harm than good.  Fruit comes from a mission connected to both community and God though Holy Spirit empowerment.  First, Mission gains its power in the midst of community.  Second, one way of looking at our mission is the creation of kingdom community (McKnight 2010, 106).[3]  In a real sense, our mission is community.  Third, mission is only true mission when done in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Lastly, our gifts that allows mission to happen are from the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit commissions us for ministry.

This just begins to show the full interconnectedness of true mission with God and community.  One without the other turns sour fast, which we will unpack further in future posts.