At CE National we often repeat a great phrase that encompasses our mission and vision.
Living ON MISSION.
However, I often find it odd that when I speak of living ON MISSION (we even write it in caps, so you don’t miss it), what we mean is often lost. So then I add, “You know, living out the great commission.” Jesus said to go and make disciples, be a witness, and do greater things than me!

Come to think of it, living ON MISSION is a Bible thing.

Whether you are reading about Jesus’ commands to his disciples and how those commands relate to us, or God’s commands to the nation of Israel, or even the mandate given to Adam and Eve in the garden; God’s mission has been to chase down and rescue the prize of his creation—us. And here is the crazy part, we have the same mission. It is our job to take that mantle and carry it forward.
After Jesus’ resurrection he decided to visit a very freaked out bunch of his disciples in an upper room in Jerusalem. These guys were so afraid they locked the door and quietly tried to figure out what needed to happen next. Jesus appears and tells them exactly what would be next. “Just as the Father has sent me, so I send you.” Later in Acts, Jesus told them to go and be witnesses (Acts 1:8).
To be sent in the same way Jesus was is precisely what it means to live ON MISSION. It is the relentless pursuit of bringing the gospel into our world. It is living out God’s plan and purpose for our lives. It is the embodiment of love that the disciples saw nailed to a cross, and the radiance of God’s glory in our midst.

But how ought we respond?

If you ever meet my 10-year old daughter, you will know within about thirty seconds that she loves to dance. I don’t mean jumping around the room pretending to dance or copying something she saw on television. I mean really dance. She is a competitive dancer that spends between eight and ten hours a week at the studio. They are pushed to their limits, stretched to be better, and often rewarded for their hard work. She would tell you that she does not just dance, she is a dancer. It is part of her identity. It is who God made her be, and she will want to show you.
Being a witness, living ON MISSION, is like being a dancer. If we claim to be a passionate follower of Christ and we claim that our identity is found in none other than Christ, that we have a new heart and a new nature animated by the Holy Spirit, do people know that about you within the first thirty seconds of meeting you?

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