November 2nd, 2025
by James Drake
by James Drake
In a world filled with noise and competing messages, we need to know which voice we can trust to build our lives upon. That voice is Jesus Christ, whose time-tested message has guided believers through the ages. Today we explore why mission must become our mindset - not just as a church, but as individuals seeking to live lives of lasting significance.
Why Mission Must Be Our Mindset
For the Church: Avoiding Faith as a Hobby
When a church forgets its mission, faith becomes merely a hobby. The Gospel isn't just meant to make us feel better or help us understand more - it's a message we're called to reflect and proclaim to a lost world. This is what Jesus meant when He said, "As the Father sent me, so I am sending you."
Without mission as our mindset, churches risk becoming clubs rather than centers of Christian outreach. We must replace our preferences with God's purpose and remove consumerism from the house of the Lord, replacing it with discipleship.
Every church in the Bible was a multiplying church. The church was never meant to be a lounge, but a launch pad for spreading the Gospel to the world.
For Individuals: Transforming Every Area of Life
Mission changes everything in our personal lives too. When couples understand they weren't brought together just for happiness but for holiness, it transforms their marriage from expectation management to a partnership on mission.
Parenting shifts from behavior control to raising up the next generation of world changers for Christ. Work becomes more than a paycheck - it becomes a calling where we get to serve rather than just show up.
Mission gives meaning to what might otherwise feel like "Groundhog Day" - the same routine repeated endlessly without purpose.
What Does It Mean to Be a New Creation?
According to 2 Corinthians 5:17, "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." This isn't just an update or improvement - it's a complete transformation, like putting a powerful new engine in an old truck.
Our identity is not achieved through what we do, what we have, or what others think of us. Our identity is received from our Heavenly Father. Only owners can label things, and we belong to God. In Christ, He calls us His beloved.
Many people think they're disqualified from being used by God because they've gone too far or sinned too much. This simply isn't true. God uses crooked sticks to draw straight lines. He doesn't call the qualified; He qualifies the called.
Understanding Our Role as Ambassadors
What Is an Ambassador?
An ambassador represents their leader in a foreign land, speaking on behalf of their kingdom's interests rather than the host nation. As Christians, we represent a new kingdom with a new King - not ourselves or anyone around us, but Christ our Lord.
We don't speak in our own authority but in His authority. We're more concerned about our citizenship in heaven than our citizenship on earth.
The Ministry of Reconciliation
As ambassadors, we're called to a ministry of reconciliation. This means helping people find forgiveness for their sins so they can be right with God. We're not better than others - we're simply beggars who have found food and can point others to where they can find food too.
God doesn't just make His appeal around us; He wants to make His appeal through us. This is the beautiful truth of verse 21 - the great exchange where "He who knew no sin became sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God."
The Power of the Gospel Message
The story of Jim Elliot illustrates the compelling power of the Gospel. Despite being killed while trying to reach an unreached tribe in Ecuador, his sacrifice inspired thousands of missionaries worldwide. His wife courageously returned to minister to the same tribe that killed her husband, and many of them came to faith in Christ.
Jim's journal contained these powerful words: "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." This demonstrates what it means to be compelled by the love of Christ and to live with mission as our mindset.
The Great Exchange
At the heart of our message is the great exchange described in 2 Corinthians 5:21. Christ, who knew no sin, became sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God.
This means:
Extending Grace to Others
The story of Judge Tomey illustrates the power of extending grace. When a grandmother chose to forgive her grandson's killer in court, offering him her address and promising to respond if he wrote, it was the first moment of humanity in the entire trial. The killer's demeanor completely changed as the Gospel light began to shine through this message of forgiveness.
We who have received mercy must extend it to others as ambassadors for Christ.
Life Application
This week, identify your "one" - the person who is far from God but close to you. Write down their name and commit to praying for them daily. Look for opportunities to share the ministry of reconciliation with them, remembering that Christ became sin for them so they could become right before God.
Take a step of faith as an ambassador of Christ, recognizing your calling to reconciliation. Whether in your marriage, parenting, work, or daily interactions, let mission become your mindset.
Ask yourself these questions:
Remember, you are an ambassador of the King - loved deeply, made new in Christ, sent with authority, and declared righteous in Him. Go forth with confidence, knowing that God is with you and for you as you serve as His ambassador in a world that desperately needs His mercy.
Why Mission Must Be Our Mindset
For the Church: Avoiding Faith as a Hobby
When a church forgets its mission, faith becomes merely a hobby. The Gospel isn't just meant to make us feel better or help us understand more - it's a message we're called to reflect and proclaim to a lost world. This is what Jesus meant when He said, "As the Father sent me, so I am sending you."
Without mission as our mindset, churches risk becoming clubs rather than centers of Christian outreach. We must replace our preferences with God's purpose and remove consumerism from the house of the Lord, replacing it with discipleship.
Every church in the Bible was a multiplying church. The church was never meant to be a lounge, but a launch pad for spreading the Gospel to the world.
For Individuals: Transforming Every Area of Life
Mission changes everything in our personal lives too. When couples understand they weren't brought together just for happiness but for holiness, it transforms their marriage from expectation management to a partnership on mission.
Parenting shifts from behavior control to raising up the next generation of world changers for Christ. Work becomes more than a paycheck - it becomes a calling where we get to serve rather than just show up.
Mission gives meaning to what might otherwise feel like "Groundhog Day" - the same routine repeated endlessly without purpose.
What Does It Mean to Be a New Creation?
According to 2 Corinthians 5:17, "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." This isn't just an update or improvement - it's a complete transformation, like putting a powerful new engine in an old truck.
Our identity is not achieved through what we do, what we have, or what others think of us. Our identity is received from our Heavenly Father. Only owners can label things, and we belong to God. In Christ, He calls us His beloved.
Many people think they're disqualified from being used by God because they've gone too far or sinned too much. This simply isn't true. God uses crooked sticks to draw straight lines. He doesn't call the qualified; He qualifies the called.
Understanding Our Role as Ambassadors
What Is an Ambassador?
An ambassador represents their leader in a foreign land, speaking on behalf of their kingdom's interests rather than the host nation. As Christians, we represent a new kingdom with a new King - not ourselves or anyone around us, but Christ our Lord.
We don't speak in our own authority but in His authority. We're more concerned about our citizenship in heaven than our citizenship on earth.
The Ministry of Reconciliation
As ambassadors, we're called to a ministry of reconciliation. This means helping people find forgiveness for their sins so they can be right with God. We're not better than others - we're simply beggars who have found food and can point others to where they can find food too.
God doesn't just make His appeal around us; He wants to make His appeal through us. This is the beautiful truth of verse 21 - the great exchange where "He who knew no sin became sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God."
The Power of the Gospel Message
The story of Jim Elliot illustrates the compelling power of the Gospel. Despite being killed while trying to reach an unreached tribe in Ecuador, his sacrifice inspired thousands of missionaries worldwide. His wife courageously returned to minister to the same tribe that killed her husband, and many of them came to faith in Christ.
Jim's journal contained these powerful words: "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." This demonstrates what it means to be compelled by the love of Christ and to live with mission as our mindset.
The Great Exchange
At the heart of our message is the great exchange described in 2 Corinthians 5:21. Christ, who knew no sin, became sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God.
This means:
- He takes our shame so we can receive His glory
- He lays down His life so we can live
- He bears our sin so we can have life
- We receive imputed righteousness - right standing before God not because of what we've done, but because of what Christ has done for us
Extending Grace to Others
The story of Judge Tomey illustrates the power of extending grace. When a grandmother chose to forgive her grandson's killer in court, offering him her address and promising to respond if he wrote, it was the first moment of humanity in the entire trial. The killer's demeanor completely changed as the Gospel light began to shine through this message of forgiveness.
We who have received mercy must extend it to others as ambassadors for Christ.
Life Application
This week, identify your "one" - the person who is far from God but close to you. Write down their name and commit to praying for them daily. Look for opportunities to share the ministry of reconciliation with them, remembering that Christ became sin for them so they could become right before God.
Take a step of faith as an ambassador of Christ, recognizing your calling to reconciliation. Whether in your marriage, parenting, work, or daily interactions, let mission become your mindset.
Ask yourself these questions:
- Who is the person God has placed in my life that needs to hear about His love and forgiveness?
- How can I shift from living for my own comfort to living on mission for God's glory?
- What would change in my daily routine if I truly saw myself as an ambassador for Christ?
- Am I more concerned with my citizenship on earth or my citizenship in heaven?
Remember, you are an ambassador of the King - loved deeply, made new in Christ, sent with authority, and declared righteous in Him. Go forth with confidence, knowing that God is with you and for you as you serve as His ambassador in a world that desperately needs His mercy.
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