In this passage, we see the faithful work of Christ and the way our witness plays a part in God’s meta-narrative. For us to participate in the life and work of the missio dei means that we love mercy, act justly, and walk humbly with God. Paul waited on people, and He served others—even through trials.
Friends, we were born for such a time as this. There are many trials before us. Yet throughout this Advent season, we choose to “wait on God” and “wait on others.” We serve others. We live out God’s mission in our lives. Let us hold fast to serving others. What does it mean for us to tend to the needs of others? It means that one’s mind, spirit, body, and soul respond to the MISSION OF GOD.
One of God’s missional designs for the world is that we care for one another. To share our faith is part of what we need to do. As Christians, we share the Gospel with “others.” Right? The nineteenth century had major issues that influenced the way they handled “God’s mission.” Perhaps the missionary movement could have had a more positive influence on manufacturing, colonialism, and imperialism. But then, perhaps, some people allowed missions to be influenced by these forces. Due to its natural resources, Europe was interested in Africa. The British colonialized India. China had problems with opium and cultural stratifications amidst the presence of the deep divide between the working peasants and the elite class. In these countries, how would the Gospel flourish? We needed a solution. The first solution was to translate the Bible into the heart language of the different people groups.
By the 1900s when imperialism and colonialism dominated Africa and India, Christian missionary work was deemed a top priority among the evangelical ecumenical community. This evangelical priority led to the groundwork for the great World Missionary Conference in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1910. Today this conference is still alive and well. In 2010, I had the opportunity to serve as a delegate to the Lausanne Conference in Capetown, South Africa. The focus on world missions is still on track today as it was more than 100 years ago. We focus on serving the poor, presenting the gospel, and making sure the Bible is translated into the heart language of every person on the planet.
This Advent season let us pray and “wait on people” as “we wait for God” to use us as we work together, spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. The day of the Lord is at hand.