Pastor Travis Burkett
As a student pastor, I have the opportunity to impact and influence in many different ways. I can lead, direct, inform, correct, develop, and instruct a lot of students. I can teach, encourage, and help, but I can’t influence your circle and you can’t influence mine. As individual followers of Jesus, our influences are so great. We can lead, direct, develop, and most importantly, we can love and reach people right where we are.
That’s what life on a mission is all about. The question is, what is your mission? It could be as pure as family, friends, or work. However, did you know if you believe in Jesus, you are actually called to be sent? Not just accepting Jesus as God, but actually joining God in His mission of living out the Gospel. The mission to know Jesus and passionately make Jesus known.
In order to answer that for ourselves, we have to determine what is the Gospel and what does It mean to you?
1. The Gospel Is Change
I had a friend named Ben. He was starting point guard for our AAU team. We became friends sophomore year and soon realized both of us were from Christian homes. We were both very vocal on our team, but for opposite reasons. I was vocal about life and the game, but Ben was vocal about how the Gospel changed his life. I was saved, I knew Jesus loved me, but I had no interest in sharing it with anyone, let alone living it out. Life on mission is all about letting the Gospel truly change everything about you.
Galatians 1:15-16, “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him…”
Paul was saying that God had a purpose to make Jesus known to us. What was that purpose? To know Him and to make Him known! Paul understood the importance of the Gospel. The Bible says, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” That God loved us so much that He said I’ll come and make a way so that we can live. And all we have to do is accept what Jesus accomplished. Once we believe, realize you have an influence to make Him known. The thing that made Paul so great, was that he was willing to live a life on mission. So whose mission are you living? Your own preferences on Facebook? Your own perspective about COVID 19? Or is the Gospel reflecting every area of your life?
2. The Gospel Is Real
I want you to think about where you would be without the real change of the Gospel in your life. I know where I would be, and I am amazed that Jesus loved me enough to make a way to escape. 1 Corinthians 9:16 says, “For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!” Imagine the life change of Paul. But why such a change? Because the Gospel was real and this mission was Paul’s purpose.
Friend, Satan wants to use everything to confuse, frustrate, and divide us. He uses temptations, trials, pleasures, lifestyles, and Covid 19 to pull us apart. We have the greatest news in the world, that Jesus desires to rescue people that are hurting, and we focus on the problems about a mask? The fact is, We can’t know Him and make Him known when we allow things to get in the way of the Gospel. We can fake it, but we won’t have true happiness until Jesus has total control.
We Must Realize 3 Things:
1. Realize what God has rescued you from.
2. Let it help you resist temptation/fight sin.
3. So you can know Him and make Him known.
God has come to rescue the hurting, empty, broken, needy, lost… God has chosen you to live a life on mission. Will we accept His mission? Will you live to know Jesus and make Jesus known?