"Discover Your Mission Now"

TITLE: Discover Your Mission Now
AUTHOR: Dave Ferguson
PUBLISHER: Exponential Resources, 2012.

[Free ebook available here.]

Each of us has a mission. Every Church is called to a mission. The trouble is, have we forgotten it? Are we totally clueless about what mission we have? When in doubt, check back with Jesus. This is the prescription that Ferguson has for us.

First, we discover what is the mission of Jesus. Second, we look at five ways (missional practices) in which Jesus accomplishes this mission. As followers of Christ, we are to do no less. Using the story of Jesus with the Samaritan woman at the well as a launching pad, Ferguson highlights the 3Rs of discovering the mission of Jesus.

A) The Mission of Jesus

First, there is the REACH aspect where Jesus sets off purposefully to reach out to those who are far away from God. Just like the way Jesus reaches out to the woman, so too we are to reach out to our neighbours and friends.

Second, there is RESTORE. Jesus restores the woman's life, and urges her to sin no more. God's love is so deep and wide that He cares for the down and out, the outcasts, and the most marginalized people on earth. We are to be channels of God's grace.

Third, there is the REPRODUCE element. Note how excited the woman was when she goes to share of her encounter with the rest of the folks in the town. One good deed deserves another. One great act of kindness leads to another.

All these three elements are applicable to both Church as well as the individual.

B) Discovering Our Mission (BLESS)

Five steps are given.

1. B = Begin with Prayer
2. L = Listen
3. E = Eat
4. S = Serve
5. S = Story

All significant spiritual work must begin with prayer. Prayer is the window of relationship for man to meet with God, and for God to empower man to serve better. If we fail to pray, we are set for failure for we are then going forth in our own strength rather than God's.

Before we can bless the world, we need to be able to discern the needs of the world. Listening is a key activity. Prayer prepares the person to listen better.

Eating is essentially about opportunities to build relationships with people over a meal. In our busy world, while many people claim to lack time, opportunities are there for meal times.

Serving people from where we are is also an opportunity to bless our neighbourhood.

Finally, share the story of God and our testimony.

Ferguson ends the book with a challenge. Are we going to be people who "Read and Regret" or are we going to be people who "Read and Repeat?" Hopefully, in discovering our mission through BLESS, we learn to do the latter more and more.

The steps to discover our mission is very simple and practical.  Go and make disciples of all nations, and BLESS them.

conrade

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This book is provided to me free by Exponential.org resources without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.