God is on mission…
Over the past two months, we have revisited and re-familiarized ourselves with the mission work of God, which we, as a church, have the privilege of joining. For many years, God has enabled CCC to be part of making Himself known on three continents.
As we read the biblical accounts of Peter being imprisoned, Paul being beaten, and John being exiled for aligning their lives with Jesus and guiding all people to abundant life in Him, we realize that these situations are not so distant, based on what we’ve heard from some of our visiting mission partners. Our mission partners have willingly placed themselves in locations that are spiritually, socially, emotionally, and physically hostile.
Currently, most of us regularly experience a greater degree of freedom and openness to live like Jesus and share His abundant life. While we do not have to suffer to the same extent as our mission partners, we are called to suffer with them as we are able. We are to live out Romans 12:15 (NIV): “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.”
Although we may not endure the same hardships as our mission partners, we have the opportunity to support them sacrificially, both financially and through prayer. By investing our resources in the work of making Jesus known where few, if any, have heard of His abundant life, we share in the sufferings of our mission partners. The path to knowing Christ more deeply often comes through suffering with Him, as Paul states in Philippians 3:10 (NIV): “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death….”
By coming alongside our mission partners in their painstaking work to make Jesus known, we share in the sufferings of Christ and come to understand the heart of God more clearly—His heart that desires no one to perish but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9, NIV).
Over the past two months, we have had the opportunity to witness the frontier ministry in which we are involved, making Jesus known in challenging places. We’ve heard the good news of new children being adopted into the family of God, and we’ve learned that progress is being made toward the completion of the Alley Project. We’ve also heard that God is always present and active in making Himself known, even when we or our mission partners cannot see it as clearly or as soon as we’d like from our limited human perspective.
Thank you to everyone who has given their time, talent, treasure, and attention to become more aware of what God is doing to make Himself known around the world through our limited efforts. It is humbling and awe-inspiring that we have the opportunity to be part of such profound work, which has eternal and life-altering impacts for so many who have yet to know the hope of abundant life available in Jesus.
This Saturday (October 12th), you are invited to set aside an hour and a half from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM at the CCC building to join others in guided prayer for CCC’s mission partners. This interactive experience will assist you in interceding for our mission partners’ work and help position our hearts before God for the Faith Promises we will make on Sunday, October 20th, to financially support our mission partners for the coming fiscal year. I hope you will make time to join!
Continue to trust that God is present and active.
Jordan Byrd