The situation in Isaiah chapter 6 has long been a calling card of the world of missions and missionaries. The first eight verses of the chapter make a great backdrop for anyone who feels called to do mission work, and the church loves the idea of being the senders. We sing songs about it, we take up special collections, we pray over missionaries, all in the name of making it easier for mission-minded Christians to say, “Here I am. Send me!”
I think it’s awesome that we do this, and it is nothing short of obedient for us to send people around the world to proclaim the Gospel in various ways. However, sometimes I’m afraid that we get so satisfied in supporting the mission across the world, that we forget to participate in the mission across the street. This happens when contributing to global missions is viewed as a replacement for engaging in personal mission, when posting about our faith on social media is done to avoid discussing it in real life, and when attending church serves as an alternative to being Christ in the world around us.
There is nothing wrong with any of those things, but God has not called us to keep our faith within our comfort zones, He’s called us to be sent, and sometimes we lose sight of that mission in our everyday lives. I want to ensure you that whoever you are, whatever you do, wherever you go, you have a crucial role in the mission of God, and that starts in the day-to-day.
This concept of mission in everyday life is even present in Isaiah, because God wants him to go talk to the Israelites, and Isaiah is an Israelite. He wants Isaiah to talk to his neighbors; to go to the folks he’s close to. Isaiah is asked to proclaim God to the people he rubs shoulders with every day. What I’m trying to say is, yeah the mission is big and global, but it’s also small and personal, because for every one of us, the mission is to our families, our friends, our neighbors, our coworkers; the people we see every day.
You are not merely a member of a household, you are a spiritual leader for those close to you. You are not just a student on campus, you are a missionary to campus. You are not simply an employee of your workplace, you are a representative of Christ in your career field. People need to know God – they need to know that He cares; that He loves them and wants them to come to Him – who will go for Him? It’s us. We gotta go.
