Strategic Mission: Commitment

Stop going with the flow

There are many churches, Christian groups and charities where people come, do  work and go home.

The work they do is good , but it will not bring lasting transformation because the primary commitment of the workers is not what happens at work, but what happens after work. They are partial in their commitment.

Many Christians do not get to the point where they own a challenge with God.  They never get to the point where there is something important enough for them to rearrange their priorities past what is “normal”.

John Maxwell said:

“Until I am committed, there is a hesitancy, a chance to draw back. But the moment I definitely commit myself, then God moves also, and a whole stream
of events erupts. All manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings, persons, and material assistance, which I could never have dreamed would come my way, begin to flow toward me – the moment I make a commitment.”

The world try to keep you from making a committment.

The world will keep giving you an agenda:

The world will say you need to get good marks at school. Then you need to get a good job and to move up in that job.  Then you need a good partner. Then you need perfect children.  Then your children need to be the most important thing in your life.  Then you need to provide for your children when you are gone.  And then you die.

So many people get to the end of their lives leaving the world no different to how they found it.

Think about the people who have changed the world.  They have made the world’s problems, theirs.  Mother Theresa started her journey when she saw someone die in the street and she said “no one should die like this” and she gave her life for the poor people of Calcutta.

Once you have accepted a problem, you don’t need anyone to tell you what to do anymore.  You know what your job is and so you are free then to be creative.  Once you know what the job is, you will welcome help from anyone anywhere.

If you are called to transform a community then you will need to be willing to do many things. Community Transformation is apostolic ministry.  Paul the apostle had to preach, teach, discipline and make tents.

There are plenty of people who have a burden for something and pray and think about it, but don’t do anything.

To bring about change, we need to move from simply having a burden to actually doing something.

So the the first and most important question of strategic mission is: “What are you actually willing to commit to?”