Jesus calls us to himself, first as bystanders, as witnesses of his
glory. We get to see what he does, and we worship him for it. But
ultimately, he’s calling us to join him in his work, to participate in
the process of redemption.
And as we do so, we continue to see the transforming power of redemption even more deeply in our lives.
The goal of short-term missions is to move people from being bystanders to becoming participants.
Our culture moves us the other way, towards becoming spectators to our lives. We’re spectators at church and at conferences. We’re spectators in front of our TV. But God wants his children to participate. He wants to activate us. He wants us to make a contribution.
With mission trips, people often begin by going on service projects. But as they become more comfortable serving, other kinds of ministry opportunities open up to them.
I think that’s how the kingdom works. We become progressively more empowered to participate with God in what he’s doing.
My hope for you is that this next season would be a time of moving deeper into the work that God is doing in the world, moving from spectator to participant.
Amen, Seth! Participation in church for centuries has been about consumerism, not participation. The Sunday “monologue” is evolving into a dialogue with the Body of Christ engaging more in social interaction and small groups. Now, the logical progression is to be released for acts of service, actually being the hands and feet of Jesus. Wake up, sleeping faithful, and get going!
Amen! AIM is exceptional at this. Thanks for leading the way, Seth.