Joining in God's Mission

When the Jewish leaders questioned Jesus' healing of the man at the pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath, Jesus said, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working" (John 5: 17).

Did you know that God, the Father, is constantly doing HIS work in the lives of people all around us? But just what is the nature of that work?

By looking at the work of Jesus, who came to do the Father's work, we find the answer. "The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost" (Luke 19: 10).

He came to bring salvation to those who are lost. Another way of saying this is that he came to reconcile men to God (2 Cor. 5: 19). That is, he came to pay the debt for us so that we no longer are separated from God by our sin. Jesus' sacrificial atonement is the ultimate work of God.

Even though Jesus has paid the debt for all sin, yet men and women remain separated from God. Reconciliation, to be complete, requires that humans do something to receive the benefits of that atoning work. It is as if God writes out a check for the full amount for each one of us--but we must receive and cash that check to enjoy the benefits.

Therefore, God has sent out every believer like an ambassador on his behalf with the message, "Be reconciled to God." Or to follow the analogy, "Take the check and cash it!"

"And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, [it's] as if God were making his appeal through us, 'We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God!'" (2 Cor. 5: 19b-20).

And so I come to the point of this blog entry: We are called to join in God's work, just as Jesus did. That is why the book of Acts begins by telling us that Luke's first book was about what Jesus BEGAN to do and to teach (Acts 1: 1). Now Luke will write about the continuation of God's work through the disciples.

We are all called to join in God's work--what theologians call the Missio Dei--God's mission. Each believer is to take seriously the call to participate in God's work.

And since I am powerless to actually do the work of God, I must be empowered by His Spirit. That is why, at the beginning of Acts, the Spirit is poured out on ALL the people of God, young and old, men and women. Everyone is empowered to do the work of God.

The Father is at work all around you. Have you decided to join Him in His work?