Living on a mission requires a belief in a super-plan. Either your own super-plan of how you intend on making the world right according to your own definition (God save us!) or the super-plan of God, an overarching story with an intended destination. Being on mission assumes that the world isn’t the way it’s supposed to be and if some action is taken, the world can be put right again. Christians adhere to various accounts of just what that super-plan is, but all Christians believe that there is one. After all, to become a Christian you must believe that you have been lost and now you are found, you had been blind and now you see, you had been dead but you are now alive. Your personal story is a microcosm of the overarching narrative of God. That is why giving testimony to God’s work in your life is a vital part of evangelism. God has a super-plan. The world has an overarching, God-given, meta-narrative and we will be set free to live our lives fully for God when we understand what this meta-narrative is.
As I mentioned a moment ago, there are various versions of this super-plan of God among Christians but for today’s purposes, let’s try to keep it simple and universal. This is the narrative: God created a good world, sin wreaked havoc on this world, God is putting the world right again in and through Jesus. That is how I understand the super-plan of God. A large portion of our personal mission within this super-plan is to invite others to become willing subjects of this super-plan by sharing with them how they personally can be put right by God.
If you have truly been “born again”, you are a living Gospel proclamation. This is why personal holiness and humility are vital keys to evangelism. Our life is a mini gospel story, God’s super-plan, in a sample size. We must allow our lives to reflect the gospel as truly as possible so that others will see and believe. When we walk in true holiness, and when we share our testimony, we allow God to proclaim His gospel through our lives.
So, what is your story? Sharing your story and the stories of others with people you know is part of evangelism. I think we are diminishing our witness in the world by not giving people enough time to share testimony when we gather together. Your story might cause others to see that God has a super-plan for their life too. One of the great things about our current technological development is the opportunity we have to easily share our stories and the stories of others with people all over the world. Why don’t you share the gospel today by sharing your story or by sharing the story of another? (Listen to and share Kelsey’s story here.)
But our personal stories are also strongly shaped by our culture and by our personal prejudices. While testifying to what God has done in our lives, we must also be aware that our sin nature is still present to tempt us to shape the story to fit our personal preferences or to stroke our egos. Even giving testimony to how God has forgiven us of gross sin can still be done in a spirit of pride and selfishness, or even self-righteousness as our awareness of being forgiven causes us to forget our bondage. All must be done in love. If our motivation isn't loving, it isn’t from God. The greatest and simplest form of God’s super-plan is expressed in scripture this way:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but should have everlasting life.” John 3:16.
There is much more to the story and learning it is a big part of following God’s super-plan for your life, something we call discipleship. But the most important features of the story are right here: God so loved...that He gave...life! We cannot define living as only having a beating heart. The heart of a person who is truly living is a heart that beats with purpose. Your purpose is to be loved by God and to come into His story. So, come let Him finish His story in you and the entire world will be blessed because of it.