Mission: Accept God's Invitation - 7 Feb 2017
Often, mission doesn't mean a dramatic call to a faraway place; it can also take place right on your doorstep.This inspiring story is from one of our 24-7 friends living and serving in London:
"Mission is no longer something I 'go and do' - it is my home, friends and neighbours..."
Overseas mission may sound daunting to you - it often conjures images of long-term separation from family and friends; without home comforts or reliable internet access. Yet this isn’t the only picture of mission - in fact, it can be most effective right on your doorstep.
I first joined a 24-7 Prayer mission team to Belgrade back in 2006 - but my calling ended up looking a bit different to what I had pictured. Along the way, having explored opportunities in South America and Africa, worked amongst Latino gangs in California and joined a mission order that serves amongst poor and marginalised people, my young family and I found ourselves living in East London, just 20 miles from where I grew up.
God knows me. He knows I am terrible at learning languages (as do our Bangladeshi neighbours!). But he has a plan, and it still involves me. London is home to 270 different nationalities - even though we may not have gone to the nations, God has brought them to us.
We can overcomplicate Jesus’ message of hope and love, which can make mission seem even more daunting. We tell ourselves that we’ll go when we’re properly trained or equipped - but the whole point of mission is that it’s not about us, as Eugene Peterson explains:
“The missionary's role is not to somehow manage or save people, but to repeatedly draw their attention to God. not to change them, but to lead them into worship, and trust God to do the changing.”
- Eugene peterson, Under the Unpredictable plant
So this is what our team in London tries to do. We simply speak the truth of who Jesus is as we live alongside our Bangladeshi neighbours.
As I go in to the East London Mosque where over 7000 Muslims come to worship a God they can never know; as we pass the addicts on our stairwell whilst taking our son to school; as we share a meal and read the Bible with homeless men from Eastern Europe, Iraq and Afghanistan; as we prayer-walk the streets that gave birth to the Salvation Army, but remain home to the highest levels of child poverty in this nation.
Mission is no longer something I “go and do” - it is my home, friends and neighbours.
Yet it started with stepping out and following God’s call to go and join in with what he was doing in Belgrade ten years ago - it started a journey of mission that has been transformational.
I would love to show you around our neighbourhood this summer - to discover what Jesus is doing here, and to pray with us for a movement of God that will transform East London and our nation. I know that the same is true for each 24-7 Prayer mission team location too.
So accept God’s invitation to be a part of his mission, but be warned that it could take you to the other side of the world - or even to your own doorstep.
Accept the invitation - be part of one of our 2017 mission teams: 24-7prayer.com/missionteams
