By Larry Stover

Do you have a vision for the mission of God? The nature of the typical Christian today is they are content to attend church occasionally and let others know they are a member of “such and such church.”

The mission of God goes far beyond that. Matthew 28:16-20 is referred to as the “Great Commission.” That missional statement of Jesus Christ gives us several imperatives. We are told to go everywhere and make disciples, to baptize converts and to teach them the values, precepts and principles of the Christian faith.

Somehow that does not describe the nominal believer in America today.

A disciple of Jesus is not simply a person who accepts Him as their Savior. A true disciple is someone who reproduces themselves spiritually. Being a convert goes beyond baptism.

As a Christian I am on a lifelong journey of learning more and more about the relationship that I have with Jesus Christ. The call to the Mission of God is the call to a journey of a lifetime. It is a call to share my faith and to reflect Jesus Christ in all that I do.

A great need among Christians today is to catch a fresh vision of the mission of God. That means that I am in a partnership with the Redeemer of the world. The Holy Spirit and I are teamed up to be “change agents.” We not only believe that Jesus Christ came to this world to die for the sins of mankind, we also believe that He was carrying out His purpose on earth to reconcile the world back to the Heavenly Father.

My greatest joy in ministry is introducing people to a relationship with Christ. I want them to understand that the Christian life is all about a 24/7 connection with the Lord.

We are on this magnificent journey together that leads to eternity with Him in heaven. I love being a Christian. My prayer is that you love it too.

As a Christian, I get excited when someone catches that vision for the mission of God. Life is all about making a difference, with the help of the Holy Spirit, in the lives of others. Sometimes that involves just helping someone get back on track after they have made a bad choice. On other occasions it means to help people who are having emotional issues. God still brings healing to damaged emotions.

Some people in life have this belief that we can correct problems by telling ourselves to do so. It would be great if that were the case. But, it seldom happens that way.

If you know someone whose life is a mess, help them get cleaned up and straightened out if they will let you. It really doesn’t matter whether it is a little mess, big mess, or something in between.

Let’s all work together to point people in the direction of the Savior. Everybody needs Jesus. Everyone needs a vision for God’s mission.

There is healing, hope, purpose and a reason to live when Christ is Lord of all. It truly makes life “simply beautiful.”