He didn't think in "summer missions" or "1-week mission trips" or "I'm-going-to-do-some-mission-work" terms.
It never occurred to him to announce, "I'm beginning my mission work." Yes, I know about his message in the Nazareth synagogue (Luke 4). But his announcement there didn't mark the beginning of his way of going about life. He had 30 years of missional living experience by then. It was love God and love people daily, perfectly, consistently, quietly, tangibly.
Mission was his life. Every step. Every word. Every smile. Every kindness. Every prayer. Every thought. Every tear.
That really came home to me while reading recently in John 7-8. Jesus repeatedly used the word "sent," in reference to the Father, as the "the One who sent Me" (cf. John 7:16, 18, 28, 29, 33; 8:29). Jesus lived the "sent-life." He woke up every morning on-mission. He never knew another way to do life. For Jesus, life was only about missional living.
So following him involves this perspective on life. To follow Jesus means living the "sent-life." It's going out everyday and intentionally staying on-mission.
Jesus summed it up like this for his followers: "Just as the Father sent me, I send you" (John 20:21, The Message).
So what would that look like?
For starters, Jeff Vanderstelt has a short video. It helped me consider how Jesus-followers could step deeper into the "sent-life" of Jesus. HERE.
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