Every follower of Jesus is invited to participate in God’s mission — not just pastors, missionaries, or people with a platform. The call to pray, go, and give is for every believer, right where you are. If you’ve ever wondered how ordinary people like you fit into what God is doing in the world, this is your answer. Here are three simple, powerful ways to participate in God’s mission starting today.
Why Participation Matters More Than You Think
I have a confession to make: As a kid, I was a Bible quiz dropout.
I have distinct memories of standing on our church stage at the end of my first and only Bible quiz season. While others received exclusive entry into the season’s 500,000 and 1 million-point club, I stood alone, no certificate in hand. It turns out I was terrible at the whole thing. I buzzed in too slowly and always had a hard time remembering answers. Only twice did I ever buzz in, and when I did, I got it wrong! So there I stood, in the aftermath of Bible quiz failure, the only person on stage with empty hands and a broken heart. This was the era of absolutely no participation awards—just the cold, hard facts of winners and losers.
Life (and competition) is pretty different now. Participation awards seem to abound in today’s culture. Sometimes, these awards get a bad rap for their negative connotations, but not with Jesus because everyone who participates in Jesus’ Kingdom is, in fact, a winner, not a loser.
Everyone who at least tries to follow Jesus gets a participation award because everyone gets to participate in God’s mission.
If you are following Jesus, you’re not only a Laborer but a Co-Laborer with Jesus. Being a Co-Laborer means you don’t have to sit excluded on the sidelines, but you get to be an active participant in God’s kingdom. In fact, 2 Corinthians 5:18-20 says that you have been given the ministry of reconciliation. You get the privilege of reconciling people to God every single day. Every person and place you encounter has the opportunity to be reconciled to God through you! You can be in the 1 million-point club with Jesus!
(Want to understand the scale of what you’re joining? Here’s what Jesus meant by “the harvest is plentiful” — and why it still matters today.)
All you have to do is put yourself in the game and participate!
3 Ways to Participate in God’s Mission
Here are 3 ways you can participate in God’s mission:
1. Pray!
You can participate in God‘s mission by praying for More Kingdom Laborers. This was one of Jesus’ greatest prayer requests. Jesus, in response to the needs of the world around him, looked at his disciples and instructed them to ask God for more Kingdom Laborers to be poured into the harvest fields (Matthew 9:37-38). Jesus not only wanted More Kingdom Laborers to be present in the harvest fields, but he wanted more prayer happening. Jesus knew that the spiritual productivity of prayer would far outpace spiritual activity alone. And so he called his disciples to partner and participate in God’s love through prayer.
Take a moment to think about your neighborhood, city, state, and country. Now, take a moment to find a country on a globe or world map that you’ve never heard of. These regions need your earth-shaking, world-changing, co-laboring prayers. Participate by praying for them today.
2. Go!
You can participate in God’s mission by going. And when I say “going,” I mean specifically going to a person or culture that differs from yours. Jesus’ mission on this earth was overtly cross-cultural and frequently surpassed borders, boundaries, and social norms. Missions, both across the street and across the world, were his central strategy to spread the good news.
You can participate in God’s love by reaching out to others in the same way. Start by thinking of people in your community, school, or workplace who look different from you or celebrate a different culture than you do. Resist the urge to surround yourself with people who look like, talk like, and think like you do. When you do this, it gives you the opportunity to bring light into dark places and salt to the earth.
Romans 10:15 says, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring Good News!” (AMP). One of the things that makes these feet beautiful is how they’ve been willing to go places others wouldn’t. So, participate in God’s mission by making your feet GO!
(Curious how that kind of going adds up to something bigger? See how disciples multiply across nations.)
3. Give!
You can participate in God’s mission by giving. God is an outpouring, abundant good, good father that loves to bless his children. You can reveal His heart to the world and participate in His mission by outpouring your finances to others. It’s impossible to out-give God because He will always take care of His children, and guess what?! If you know Him as your Lord, that means YOU!
As you give, know there is an abundant need for fuel for God’s mission, and your giving does not go unneeded! Simply put, abundant giving is vital to God‘s mission. It is essential as the heartbeat is to the body.
Whether you decide to participate in God’s love by praying, giving, or going, these three essentials are equally important. Make sure not to disqualify yourself in generosity by thinking that giving is less important than the other two. All three have equal weight on God’s kingdom scales.
Right now you can participate in God’s mission, and give to your local church. Or advance God’s mission to raise up More Kingdom Laborers by giving to Forge! Take a moment to ask God how much extra you should give, and then watch as your financial sowing blossoms into a harvest.
Be an Active Participant in God’s Mission!
Participating in God’s mission is accessible to everyone. Unlike much of today’s competitive performance-based world, everyone gets to play in God’s kingdom. As you approach this next year, take a moment to slow down and ask yourself how you might participate in God’s love. Whether you feel like a winner or not so much, your co-workers, classmates, family, friends, and neighbors are waiting for you to step up, step out, and be an active participant!