Stay On Mission – 16th July 2018

Woe to you who are complacent in Zion. Amos 6:1

1.      Have you become complacent?

Staying on Mission is not the ‘easy’ way to live!

I am writing this article from Newtown, Sierra Leone a country that is extremely poor and where many are hungry and sick.  I have been staying in the home of Pastor Elijah Valcarcel who has just joined The Rooftop as the National Pioneer for Sierra Leone.

During a morning conversation we were talking about the unreached peoples of Sierra Leone who live in the regions of the country that are far from the cities.  He spoke with passion about the tragic reality that these people remain largely unreached because the Christians will not go to them.  They will not go because it would mean leaving behind the comforts of living in the city and most are just not prepared to do it.

As Elijah shared these things with me I confess that the ‘comforts’ that he spoke about people leaving behind in Freetown would most likely not be considered comforts to most of the people where I live in the UK.  Then it occurred to me that wherever we live, even as followers of Jesus Christ, our tendency is to want to be comfortable and safe!  However much or little we have we never want to be without it! The challenge is that we will never be effectively joining Jesus in His Mission if we are determined to stay comfortable. Joining Him in His Mission will take us outside of our comfort zone.

Amos spoke enormously challenging words to the people of God.  He said ‘Woe to you who are complacent’. 

Other Translations of the bible convey the challenge in even greater sharpness:

What sorrow awaits you who lounge in luxury in Jerusalem.  New Living Translation.

 Woe to you who think you live on easy street in Zion.  The Message

Of course, the words of Amos applied to the people of God who were neglecting their calling to be His people.  However, they are just as applicable to those of us who are following Christ. Expressions like ‘luxury’ and ‘living in easy street’ help us to get a deeper feel of what is meant by being ‘complacent’.  The people of God in the time of Amos had lost sight of God’s will and purpose for them.  Rather they were focused solely on this life and wanted to have the best and be the best.  As a result, they were no longer being a people that God could use to fulfil his purposes.

Is it possible that you have stopped joining Jesus because you have become comfortable with your life as a Christian?  Is the ‘comfort’ that you have become so used to preventing you from joining Jesus in His Mission?

This week, whatever your financial or material circumstances take time with God and ask Him to challenge you to step outside of those things that have caused you to focus on what is comfortable rather than on His Mission.