Those who experience the true wonder of Christian life have learned to thrive in their unique kingdom role(s) and specific mission(s). How about you?
The Christian Life
Those who experience the true wonder of Christian life have learned to thrive in their unique kingdom role(s) and specific mission(s). They do not simply fit these roles and missions into their earthly plans. Instead, they become their first priority. Accordingly, every other priority is then accomplished more effectively. They learn to live undistracted and “on-mission” as God accomplishes all He designed through them.
Thriving in Your Unique Role in Christ’s Body
Do you know the specific kingdom missions God has designed for you? How might your life and God’s impact through you be different as you increasingly walk by the Spirit on His missions?
Paul calls us to this life through the analogy of the human body (eye, hand, head, foot) as He instructs us regarding unity and roles in Christ’s body, the Church. Through 1 Corinthians 12: 18, 27 he highlights the uniqueness of each person by stating, “But as it is, God arranged the members of the body, each one of them as he chose … Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed … apostles … prophets … teachers … helping … administrating …” And through Colossians 4:17, he emphasizes the importance of being on-mission by exhorting, “See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.”
We are to ask God to reveal our roles and missions to enable us to stay in our lanes as we walk with Him, and to support others in their journeys.
Your Kingdom Mission(s): His Masterpiece
Ephesians 2:10 reveals, “For we are his workmanship (masterpiece), created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Although the Bible is not specific about defining unique missions for each believer, it is “all about” missions, whether it is developing Christ’s work through creation and salvation, Abraham’s assignment to “Go … And I will make you a great nation” (Gen 12:1-3), and the unique assignments of all whose service is shared through His Scripture. Every believer’s missions are ultimately part of the Great Commission, but each is uniquely designed in Christ’s body.
One person’s mission is to see that every individual and organization shall know their unique, God-designed purpose and how to fulfill it. They are to permit God’s Spirit to do this through them in writing, facilitating groups, and walking with specific individuals and organizations as they navigate life’s journeys. One pastor’s mission is to rebuild broken churches. Another’s is to lead thriving churches into God’s next level.
Unique Journeys Shape Us
Life-journeys are powerful influences, and they are not accidents. Through them, God hones us for unique missions and relationships with Him. We are not to be “like” anyone else, even those who share similar missions. The Apostles provide us with excellent examples. Although Peter, John, Paul, and James all had the roles of apostle, their missions, approaches and temperaments varied significantly. Through 2 Corinthians 1: 5, 6, Paul indicates how our journeys equip us. He states, “For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer.”
Consider how God may send three individuals on a journey with seemingly the same purpose and destination, however He assigns different pathways. One is to go through the desert, one across rugged and previously uncrossed mountains, and one through pleasant flower-shrouded meadows. They arrive with different learning experiences and having developed vastly different skills and perspectives. The one is rested and at peace, while the others are battered, tested and hardened. Each will then continue walking with God uniquely empowered for His purposes and His glory. This uniqueness also applies to what our missions require in the continuous opportunity for spiritual warfare.
His Spirit
It is God’s Spirit, not our flesh’s efforts, that develop us and accomplish our Father’s mission in and through us. The sooner we break free from the futility of trying to act like Christ in our flesh and place ourselves and our journeys totally under the control of God’s Spirit, the more empowered and fruitful our lives become. Galatians 5: 16, 17 exhort us, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you shall not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to one another …”
Christ emphasizes this truth in John 15: 4, 5, through the analogy of abiding in Him as branches do the vine. He calls us to this life by declaring, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in Him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” Christ’s call is a walk of faith, as God does not measure fruit as mankind does.
We are further empowered by learning that all kingdom missions involve active spiritual warfare. Once again, God uniquely prepares us as every mission encounters this aspect differently through the authority of Christ. We are reminded in Ephesians 6 that the spirit realm is where kingdom work is first accomplished before it becomes transformative in the lives of individuals, organizations, and geographical regions. Through Ephesians 6: 10-18 we are exhorted, “Put on the whole armor of God … we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against … the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places … praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.”
Christian Life Is Not a Game
Scripture shares this exhortation in many ways. Our lives are to be God and mission centered. In Revelation 3:16 Jesus shares, “ … because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth …” Similarly, in Matthew 7: 21-23 He exhorts, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father … many will say to me, ‘Lord, did we not … do mighty works in your name?’ … then will I declare … I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.”
Christ is not after perfection but a pure and obedient heart.
Consider one individual’s kingdom encounter. They served God in an area where crime and economic and spiritual hardships were prevalent. One night a young man was killed through tragic situations. This person asked God to reveal His prayers for both the family and what He was doing in the spirit realm for that geographic area. He heard God say, “This life is not a game. The Christian life of every believer is not a game. The spiritual lives of many unsaved individuals and the masterpiece lives of all Christians are at stake and depend on His Church. The lives of many people are at risk every day, and most of them do not know Jesus. Although the immediate danger by violence, sickness, or addiction is not as imminent in all areas of the world, it is just as real. Whether (unsaved) individuals have wealthy and comfortable lives or are subject to tidal waves of danger, they are all facing spiritual death every second. This is not a game.”
Put On His Mantle-Go and Truly Live
In 2 Kings 2:13, we are told “he (Elisha) took up the cloak (mantle) of Elijah …”
Putting on the mantle God designed for each of us and living in this specific call is the only way to truly live. It involves setting aside all else as we commit to walk by His Spirit, focused on our God-designed identity and missions. We join with our Father in the life-long journey of serving in the power of His Spirit. Kingdom living is not about position, influence, wealth or even health, although God lives to give and have us enjoy His gifts. It is about unique kingdom missions.
The empowered, Christian life is not about what we can do for God but what He does in and through us, as we journey “On-Mission” under the control of His Spirit.
Go and truly live.
Author’s Bio: Curt Martin is an author, speaker, seminar leader, and organization consultant. God has filled him with the passion to see every individual and organization become the unique and incredible masterpiece God designed. Little touches Him more than helping awaken all God placed within you, so you thrive in His freedom, purpose, and power as you learn to walk in God’s Spirit. Only those who commit to this journey experience the fullness of living God’s victorious life. Articles include excerpts from his award winning book, “Whose Life Are You Living.”
Here is some related reading for you: How to Discover Your Gifts of the Holy Spirit
Resource – Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), Crossway Bibles. (2007). ESV: Study Bible: English standard version. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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