Dear friends,

October 31, 2017 marks the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. It was in October 31, 1517 when Martin Luther sent a letter that included the 95 Theses to the Archbishop of Mainz. Luther also nailed these Theses disputing the practice of Indulgences to churches in Wittenberg, in accordance to their custom. This date now is commemorated every year as Reformation Day. According to this tradition, the Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches also starts its annual Wider Mission Celebration on October.

What comes to your mind when you hear or encounter the word “mission.” Maybe what comes first is the popular movie series “Mission Impossible” or the “mission” that you need to hurdle in your PC or smartphone games. But what is mission in relation to Christianity?

MISSION is:

M – Making yourself available to the task mandated by Jesus Christ. God can only work in and through willing people.

I – Imparting the Gospel of Jesus Christ to whomever we meet. We should not choose whom we will share the Gospel to. The Great Commission says, “…make disiciples of ALL nations…”

S – Sending people to places beyond their borders. The missionaries did not stay at their place but chose to go to other places. Because of this, Central Philippine University was born.

S – Sowing the seeds of faith even if the harvest seems to be small. When Jesus taught about the Parable of the Sower, only one of the four seeds was able to take root and grow. Economically, it’s a loss. But for Jesus, it always a gain. Jesus said, “the angels in heaven rejoices over one sinner that repents.”

I – Inculcating the values of the Kingdom of God to people. The values and principles found in the Bible are counter-nature. By nature we are selfish, but by the grace of God we become selfless. What Jesus taught are very difficult to follow, but as He promised, “nothing is impossible” if we are with God.

O – Obeying the commands of Jesus Christ. The commands of Jesus are imperative. We need to follow it because the one giving the orders is the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

N – Navigating this sinful world with the vision that Jesus has given us. The vision in the Great Commission is to “make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that Jesus has commanded.” Vision must be coupled with mission. The mission keyword here is just two letters – “GO.” Go and do the vision.

May God bless us all!

Sincerely,