Why do missions? This is a question that I have struggled with for a while now. Having grown up in a Christian bubble, and still currently living in one, missions have often felt too abstract a topic for me to tackle. I felt it was too complex, too advanced for me to begin to even conceptualize, let alone see myself taking part in it. But should Christians do missions? Should I do missions? This is a question that is at the very core of the teaching and ministry of Jesus. Over the last two years I have wrestled with Christ’s call to make disciples, and with the very extensive, sometimes violent and at many times harmful history of missions in the church. While missions still remain a fairly complex topic for me to even understand, Christ leads us to consider the gentle and simple spirit of his call to the Church.
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt 11:28). Jesus’ call at its very core is to come and partner with him, to learn his unforced rhythms of rest. And his rhythms of rest are not difficult, his burden is not heavy. He says so himself! So why do missions scare me and, I believe, many other people like me? Maybe it's because we don’t know what missions work really is, or haven’t seen it modeled in a healthy way. It might be that because we have all been formed in one bubble or another, we have as a result perspectives that aren’t rooted in the richness of the Great Commission.
This summer, OMF (in partnership with Wycliffe) held a virtual mission trip to both South East Asia and South America. This was my opportunity to take a bold step, albeit a little one, and look past my bubble, if only for a split second. I won’t sit here and tell you about all of the tiny details about the event, which was amazing! Neither will I tell you about what I learned from both cultures and those serving there, which was a lot. What I will tell you is to look beyond yourself, to look past your bubble and peek into what God is doing in and around you, both abroad and at home. Missions is God’s heart for all of creation. It does not have to be harmful. It doesn’t have to be scary. It doesn’t have to be complicated. And it doesn’t have to be done by someone else many times ‘more spiritual’ or ‘more passionate’ than yourself. Allow yourself to be exposed to God’s passion, and let that set you ablaze, even in your bubble.
There are opportunities all around you. Look! And take a step. It might be a baby step like praying or going for a virtual mission trip, it might be a huge step like committing to learning or serving locally or abroad. What really matters is that you look beyond your bubble and into how God is inviting you through his Son to partner with him as he heals and restores all things.
This blog post was written by Guershom Kitsa, student at the University of Toronto!