We’re in the mountains now. The terrain has changed. The one thing that hasn’t changed is our mission. God in on mission. He has always had a mission. And he has always been active in his mission. God’s mission has a church.
God’s mission has never changed from Genesis 1 through Revelation 22 but there are times we have lost track of what God’s mission is. Adam and Eve failed to be who God created them to be and now the whole creation is tarnished and no longer the good creation God intended it to bed. God has never given up on this creation. On the first day Adam and Eve were outside of the Garden, God has never stopped working to restore what he created as good. He chooses to work within the creation to restore the creation. He set apart Israel for this mission. They failed. He then sent Jesus to embody who Israel was supposed to be and to be the “New Adam” because the restored creation will need a restored Adam (1 Cor 15 and Rom 5).
We, the church, are now sent as the body of Christ for the redemption and reconciliation of the world. We have missed this calling when we have condensed the message of the Gospel into a personal and individual salvation of the soul as assurance for what happens when someone dies.
God’s mission for the church is not to set aside souls to go to heaven when their bodies die. God’s mission for the church is to live out the reality of the good creation as a witness to the restoration power of Jesus Christ amongst the tarnished creation.
God’s mission for the church is not to create escape pods to get people from earth to heaven. God’s mission for the church is to bring heaven to earth. This is the point of the Lord’s Prayer. The imagery throughout the New Testament, and the Old as well, is one of restoration of creation where all things are brought to peace. This is accomplished through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
If we’re heading into the mountains, we must remember what God’s mission is for his church. Otherwise, we will get distracted along the way. If God’s mission is the restoration of all of creation back to the goodness he created it to be:
What does this mean for how we view conflict between believers?
Do our worship practices reflect the glory of God in the restoration of his creation?
How does this shape how we view one another? Should there be dividing lines in the church between groups God has redeemed and given the Spirit to?
Restoration of all creation to the goodness God intended it to be begins with you. What are you doing right now to allow Christ to restore the blemished image of God within you so that your life is lived as a witness to God’s work in the world?
Where are you building friendships that span cultural divides that give witness to Jesus’s redemptive love?
Scriptures for your reflection: 2 Corinthians 5:13-21, Ephesians 1:7-10; 2:4-10; 2:19-22; 3:7-11