“We want to make an impact.” This is a statement that became one of the distinctives of my generation, as we launched into college and later joined the workforce in the early 2010s.
But “making an impact” is not just a millennial thing.
We see in Scripture that the apostle Paul had what we now call a holy ambition (Romans 15:20). The Bible tells us that King David “served the purpose of God in his own generation” (Acts 13:36). 17th-century preacher Jonathan Edwards was resolved to be the most “proper and complete Christian” of his time.
Some of us are called to be missionaries, but every one of us is called to obey the Great Commission
This drive to make an impact can lead to great fruitfulness for the kingdom of God. But when we look back at the lives of certain men and women in history, we might develop a narrow perspective of what this means, taking an all-or-nothing approach to our lives, including living missionally.
You see, making an impact through missional living isn’t only for the missionary who moves overseas; it’s a call to faithfulness in whatever context we find ourselves in. So, if God expects all of us to be faithful, we can be sure we can do it, right where we are, right when we are.
1. Develop a Habitual Hospitality
Hospitality is one of those practices that summons us to live in accordance with our beliefs. In fact, hospitality is a metaphor for Christian salvation. God spent days preparing a world to welcome us in as his guests, and when we failed him, he broke the body of Christ for our salvation, welcoming us into his household. Now, we can imitate our Lord by breaking bread and welcoming sinners into our home as we pray and serve them, hoping that the Lord will save them.
As we do this we should remember that hospitality isn’t a performance. As Christians, we should host as we are, within our limitations, capacities, and skills. Our neighbors can benefit from seeing our lives as a little messy, as God’s grace becomes more evident in every weakness.
Hospitality isn’t only about welcoming people into your home. It is also about welcoming people into your life. You might not be able to set a table in a living room, but you can share a table in a coffee shop. By sharing a table with our neighbors, we’re setting the stage for our welcome to become a witness.
2. Get Ready for that Opportunity
Once you open the doors of your home, or as you start sharing your life more closely with those around you, conversations about the hope that is in you will inevitably take place. Conversations about God always begin with a relational connection. When the time comes, you should be prepared (1 Peter 3:15).
The first step toward this is learning how to articulate the whole gospel in accordance with Scripture and addressing your fear of witnessing. Then, according to 1 Peter 3:15, you should consider gentleness and respect. The goal is not to spit out an impersonal, canned gospel message to check a box and calm your conscience, but to present a real Savior to a real person by showing them how Jesus can satisfy their real need for salvation.
This means that you will have to patiently and gently point sinners to the reality of God’s wrath over sin, and then to the salvation offered in Jesus. This also means sticking around to answer their questions or to speak the gospel to different areas of their lives over and over again. When you live in accordance with your beliefs, people will have questions, and you should be prepared to answer them.
3. Hold the Rope
Before leaving for India as a missionary, William Carey had an interesting conversation with members of the Baptist Missionary Society. For them, serving in that land was like going down into a deep, unexplored mine. “Well, I will go down, if you will hold the rope”, said Carey.
When Carey left, Andrew Fuller became the main “Rope Holder,” working tirelessly to raise funds to sustain the overseas missionary work of William Carey and others. Most of us are not called to missions as present-day Carey’s, but all of us can get involved in the Great Commission by giving generously to support the work overseas.
Generosity is key in reaching the unreached and addressing the Great Imbalance. Its purpose is twofold. We build up our treasure in heaven (Matthew 6:19–21), and we lay down our resources to be fruitful for the Kingdom of God.
Known for Our Everyday Faithfulness
Some of us are called to be missionaries, but every one of us is called to obey the Great Commission. Some of us will go into the mission field, but every one of us is called to live on mission. Some of us will spend our lives learning to be effective cross-cultural workers, but every one of us is called to make the gospel known through everyday faithfulness.
Robin Matos is the Editorial Assistant for Radical. He and his wife Gaby are members of Iglesia Bíblica Sola Gracia. Robin is a student of Seminario Teologico Bautista Dominicano and part of the Church Planting Residency Program of Red de la Gracia and Southwestern Seminary.
