Evangelism. Discipleship. Ministry training. Church planting.
Though I was a first-time participant at Mission Focus 2020, the above were certainly not new terms or concepts to me. Saved at the age of 21, I was immediately immersed into a local church which taught a biblical philosophy of ministry that included these concepts. Little did I know, however, that nearly 23 years later I would experience a life-changing gathering of many like-minded churches and missionaries with one Bible and one Mission that literally is spanning the entire globe.
Mission Focus is one of the annual conferences of the Living Faith Fellowship. Its goal is to bring clarity to every believer about their personal involvement and investment in the Great Commission. It is designed to bring believers to the realization of their need to completely and continually surrender to God’s call.
The Mandate
“Consecrated. Complete. Continual.” – Brian Clark
“We cannot have a worship-driven fellowship if you do not have a worship-driven life.” – Alan Shelby
Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
For many Christians, the idea of total devotion to God’s mission may not be a reality. Sure, many of us have surrendered “some” parts of our lives over to Christ, or even “most” parts of our lives to Christ, and maybe even at times “all” of our lives...only to find that a week, a month, or a few years later, we have picked back up the life that we once laid down in surrender to Christ. Complacency sets in, carnality takes root, and compromise takes over. And then we lose focus. As missionary Brian Clark so aptly taught from Romans 12:1, our bodies are to be offered as consecrated, complete, continual sacrifices to Christ’s mission. This is not only what God expects us to do, but is actually the only type of life that God can use to accomplish His Mission.
The Motivation
“Why doesn’t the shortness of time motivate us to express our love for God?” – Mark Trotter
1 Corinthians 7:29 But this I say, brethren, the time is short…
One of the key motivators that every believer can look to for completely and continually surrendering their lives to stay Mission Focused is understanding that the time is short. Whether you are 21 or 61, the reality is that every single day is a gift from God. As Pastor Beau Green states in his blog post A Biblical Viewpoint on the Rapture, Christ’s return for his church is imminent. Romans 13:11 says, “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.” Because every single day carries with it the possibility of the return of Christ for his church, we should live daily consecrated and committed to the mission at hand.
Not only is the time until Christ’s return short, but our very lives themselves are short. James 4:14 tells us that our life is “even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” The brevity of life becomes more of a reality the older I become—though I keep telling myself that 43 isn’t old. It makes me more readily consider my life. If today were the last day I could express my love to my wife, how would I express it? If today were the last day I could express my love to my two daughters, how would I express it? I’d like to think that if those scenarios were a reality, I’d spend today wholly and completely expressing my love through thoughts, words, and actions to those dearest to me.
Similarly, if today were the last day I could express my love to Christ, how would I express it? The truth is that we don’t have much time to live. Time is short, and then it’s gone. Being Mission Focused brings a sobering reminder that every day matters, and we should daily live our lives expressing our love for our Lord through our obedience (John 14:15).
The Mission
Evangelism
“If we are going to be fruitful disciple makers, we must win souls.” – Sam Miles
Colossians 1:28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
We often say here in the south, “You’re either a missionary, or you’re a mission field.” A person is either saved and thereby automatically enlisted into God’s mission, or they’re still lost in their sin and need to be reached by the gospel. The truth is, however, that good churches and good Christians can sometimes lose their burden and urgency for the lost. Getting wrapped up in the week-to-week mindset of “Sunday is coming” and “let’s put on the service” can quickly blind us to the need to get the gospel to the lost.
Mission Focus was a great reminder that we need to see every man as being lost in their sin and separated from God, and in dire need of the gospel (Mark 8:25). That understanding should motivate us to be more intentional in our efforts to engage and evangelize the lost. The good news is that evangelism can come in many forms—tracts, door to door evangelism, Creation to Christ Bible studies, evangelistic events, and so on.
Discipleship
It is the way of life for a follower of Jesus Christ.
2 Timothy 2:2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.
One of the many distinctives of the Living Faith Fellowship is that we understand that the mission doesn’t end at evangelism, but rather begins with it. The next step of discipleship is the transfer of spiritual life, not just a transfer of spiritual knowledge. It is the way of life for a follower of Jesus Christ.
Discipleship is the spiritual maturation process which moves us from living unto ourselves to living unto Him who died for us. You can learn more about LFF’s discipleship process here. Also, make plans to attend the annual Disciple Conf held in the spring at Oakland Heights Baptist Church.
Ministry Training
The greatest proving ground for ministry is the local church, not in a classroom far away.
Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Since the local church is the only entity God ordained to train His people, we must have a specific process of ministry training within our churches and a clear implementation of that process. Mission Focus is a reminder that the local church is called to train and equip its body for the work of the ministry (Eph 4:11-16).
Having a systematic process of equipping beyond just Discipleship 1 is necessary to produce capable ministers. Discipleship 2 (or, as some call it, Ministry Tools and Training) as well as LFBI allows for further preparation with practical application within the local church context. The greatest proving ground for ministry is the local church, not in a classroom far away.
Church Planting
“Missions is just ministry. Men are the mission, and men are the same all over the world. Therefore, God’s solution is the same all over the world.” – Jeff Bartell
Acts 14:22 Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. 23 And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.
Local churches reproduce local churches. And that is the goal, whether in Huntsville, AL or Zomba, Malawi. Since biblical New Testament churches are comprised of biblically qualified leadership, are given the responsibility of the ordinances, and contain the localized body of Christ, it only makes sense that they would be the entity God uses to reproduce other local New Testament churches. As we continue to develop leadership within our local assemblies, God certainly intends to raise up pastoral leadership and call out those who are prepared and proven to reproduce in other areas. Mission Focus affords you the opportunity to meet many pastors and missionaries looking to see local churches planted all over the world. You can connect with them personally, pray for them fervently, and partner with them financially.
As a newbie to Mission Focus, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The reality is that it was exactly what I needed as a pastor to bring the totality of the Mission into clear Focus. I was able to witness firsthand the culmination of evangelism, discipleship, ministry training, and church planting. I heard personal testimonies of people who were won to Christ through evangelistic Bible studies. People were open and excited about being involved in discipleship. We celebrated those graduating from LFBI. Andrew Ong was ordained into the pastoral ministry. Missionaries from all over the world were prayed over and supported. And many surrendered their lives completely to the Mission.
To view all of the content from Mission Focus 2020, check out the archived media at Living Faith Fellowship’s website.
Jay Schug is the lead pastor of Community Fellowship Baptist Church in Huntsville, AL.