The Mission

You may be saying to yourself, "Pete, I want a safe environment where I can draw near to God and pursue God's design for my life.  Not only that, I want to create that safe environment for others, too."  Well, then, you and I have something in common.  We both want to pursue this picture.  I have a simple statement I use to remind myself of this picture.  It is the Mission for Life Bridge Christian Church here in Valparaiso, IN.  It is my personal mission as well.  It goes like this:

Empower one more to walk together with God.

This simple statement sticks in my head.  It stays with me throughout the day and enters into every detail of my life.  My priorities, projects, task lists and calendar all pass through this filter.  My finances, time, and talents are all dedicate toward this end.  More than anything in life, I want to faithfully live out my part of God's plan for our world.  So, I regularly ask myself, "Does this empower one more to walk together with God."

The statement isn't something I've pulled out of the air.  It is based on two "great" pieces of God's Word: The Great Commandment and The Great Commission.

"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 22:36-40 ESV)

The Great Commandment got its name because Jesus was asked what was the greatest command of the law.  He replied with two commands that were equally important.  Actually, he replied with one command: love.  We love God by walking with God.  We love people by walking together.  My way of remembering this Great Commandment, then, is to remember "walk together with God."

And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20 ESV)

Right before ascending into heaven, Jesus gave his followers The Great Commission.  This was a command that had not existed before.  It was a command to go and take God's picture to all people, teaching them to walk together with God.  This Great Commission isn't about power, politics, position, or control.  Instead, it's about helping, evangelizing, and teaching while trusting God to give us what we need live out our part of God's plan.  God empowers us to empower one more.

How about you?  Do you want to walk together with God?  Do you want to empower one more?  Do you want to walk and empower together?