The Great Commission

Dear Brothers and Sisters,​ Consider the nature of God’s rescue mission. In order to free us from sin, death and decay, God undertakes a costly, thoughtful, demanding and daring rescue. Jesus goes from the throne of glory to the manger, from the glories of heaven to life as a carpenters son, from the perfection of heaven to enduring the agonies of hell in our place. Even for those eagerly anticipating salvation, it was unexpected, and Jesus’ earliest followers saw it as too risky, going so far as telling him it wouldn’t happen (eg Peter in Matthew 16:22). We worship an incredible God, who goes ‘outside the box’ in his planning for our salvation, and entrusts the message to fallible people to spread through the world. This might again seem like an incredible risk to take from our perspective, and yet it is God’s plan of salvation to the ends of the earth. When considering our human endeavours in light of God’s extravagant and the great lengths he goes to, we might wonder if we are playing it far too safe when it comes to gospel ministry. There are the tried and true paths which are comfortable and easy to tread, and which make up good things to do for the sake of the kingdom, and certainly have some impact in reaching out. But what about the people we are not reaching with those tried, true and safe methods?

In light of God’s radical grace, might we be a bit more daring in our endeavours to fulfil Jesus mandate of making and growing more disciples? (Matthew 28) It might be that we need to be willing to step off the well-worn paths and consider new environments, perhaps even face personal discomfort. When we consider God’s willingness to do so to rescue us, it may give us fresh adventure in our thinking.

What will it look like to engage the surrounding community? Are there things we could be doing to bring people across our threshold on a daily basis? How does local infrastructure and development impact our mission planning? What place does a shopping centre play in our outreach efforts? Are there ministries that we run faithfully that might be refreshed to more meaningfully engage with society—as in, can we go out instead of waiting for them to come in? While our ministry must certainly be based on God’s truth, as revealed in his words found in the Bible, our methods of sharing that truth can be influenced by God’s radical and daring love for us in Jesus. In Christ’s Love, Craig Olliffe, Senior minister