“Therefore go 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 obey everything I have commanded you.”  (Matthew 28:19-20)

“When are you going to be back on the mission field?”  I get asked that question all the time….it’s a great question!  Going to some other nation is exciting for sure and I imagine that question leans a bit towards the hugeness of traveling to far away places in the name of the Lord, working and sharing to further the Gospel message in some village or remote town.

But I think there is a part of that question that has an assumption too…if I am here, work is not progressing…as if being here means the work is stalled or on hold.  First and foremost, fulfilling the Great Commission is not mission work or just the missionary’s job.  These verses from Matthew are for EVERY Followers of Christ…even the nationals in villages and remote towns in other nations…not just Missionaries.  Second, it is assumed being a Missionary is about being somewhere else when it is as much about here as it is there!  I am having to learn as a Missionary that the work in the field comes from much labor here at home, especially in the arena of starting Church Planting Movements.

One thing we American Believer’s are always looking for…a few more minutes in a already busy day to do some of the things we would “…like to do”.  It will never happen!  Why?  Well, we all have the same 24 hours in one day AND have lost the true purpose of our day.  Our day is the Lords, not ours!  We have segmented the Christian life into units.  To us, the Christian life is prayer before meals, church on Sunday and Wednesday, leadership meetings and giving.  We have forgotten that our families, jobs, sports teams, hobbies, neighbors, school is our mission field!

When was the last time you shared the Gospel message intentionally with someone in one of those arena’s you live in every day?  How often are you praying for divine appointments and a prepared heart to share the love of Christ with these?  How many are you discipling to become disciplers of others?  For those of you that have been on the mission field, these are the things that happen there…so, why not here too?

What if your life was about identifying all the people God has given you in your “sphere” of life, praying for two of them each week, asking God for the opportunity to share the Gospel and then doing it intentionally…weekly?  Then, those whom say yes to the Gospel message…you begin investing an hour each week, meeting with them and causing them to grow.  I wonder if there is time for this?  I wonder how God will use the rest of your time by way of blessing and multiply the purpose of your day and bearing fruit from those 24 hours he has sovereignly given to you!

Imagine the value of your home, your job, being a student, coaching that team, playing on that team, living in that neighborhood…it’s called “Doing Yes”.

How do I start? List all the people God has given you in your life (family members, friends, co-workers, students, team mates, neighbors…)  Then, one by one begin reaching them with the Gospel message.  You will find your time will become abundant as if God has given you more minutes and hours.  You will find your sleep to be more profitable and your purpose each day will be razor sharp!

Do Yes!