Have you ever been asked to do something important, only to get distracted by something else?
Maybe you procrastinated. Maybe you got busy with another task. Maybe you even did something good, but it wasn't what you were actually asked to do.
Imagine a father leaving home for a few hours and asking his son to clean his room.
When the father returns, the house smells like freshly baked cookies. His son has worked hard to prepare something special.
But the room is still a mess.
The cookies weren't bad. They were good. They just weren't what the father had asked him to do.
And what the son didn't know was that someone was coming.
As we begin our new series, Heaven Touching Earth, Pastor Craig Millar challenged us to consider whether we've become distracted from the mission Jesus has entrusted to His Church.
There are plenty of good things we can do as Christians. We can attend services, participate in ministries, and keep ourselves busy with church activities.
But are we doing what Jesus actually asked us to do?
The Mission Begins With Go
In Mark 16:15, Jesus gives His disciples a command to go into all the world and proclaim the gospel.
The first word is simple: Go.
Not stay. Not watch. Not observe.
Go.
The Christian life was never intended to be passive.
Jesus calls us to participate in His mission, and that requires movement.
It requires a willingness to step outside our routines, respond to the Holy Spirit, and engage with the people God has placed around us.
This doesn't necessarily mean travelling overseas or becoming a full-time missionary.
Some are called across oceans, but most of us are called to our streets. Some are called to the nations, but all of us are called to our neighbourhoods.
Our workplaces, schools, families, friendships, and everyday activities are all places where God can work through us.
Following Jesus isn't meant to be one part of our lives, separated from everything else.
Everywhere we go, we go as people sent by Jesus.
God Can Work Through Difficult Circumstances
In Acts 8, the early Church experienced intense persecution.
Believers were scattered from Jerusalem, and what appeared to be a season of disruption became an opportunity for the gospel to spread.
Among those scattered was Philip.
He travelled to Samaria and proclaimed Jesus to the people there.
As Philip shared the gospel, people responded. Lives were transformed, people experienced healing and deliverance, and great joy came to the city.
What was intended to silence the Church became an opportunity for the good news to reach new people.
It's a reminder that God is not limited by difficult circumstances.
We don't have to wait until everything in our lives feels comfortable or convenient before responding to His call.
We can start now.
One conversation.
One prayer.
One invitation.
One act of obedience.
God can use ordinary moments to accomplish extraordinary things.
Jesus Has Already Gone Before Us
Philip's journey into Samaria was more than a geographical move.
It meant crossing cultural and religious boundaries.
The people of Samaria were viewed with suspicion and hostility by many Jews of that time, yet Philip was willing to go.
And he wasn't the first.
Jesus had already gone into Samaria and spoken with a woman at a well, offering her living water and inviting her into a transformed life.
Before Philip ever arrived, Jesus had already been at work.
The same is true for us.
When God leads us toward someone, we aren't necessarily beginning a work from nothing.
He may already be stirring something in their heart.
He may already be preparing a conversation.
He may already be creating an opportunity for us to share His love.
Our responsibility is to be available and obedient.
The Gospel Is Good News
Jesus didn't simply commission His followers to be kind people.
Kindness matters. Serving others matters. Caring for our neighbours matters.
But we're also called to speak about the One who has transformed our lives.
The gospel is good news because through Jesus there is forgiveness of sin, reconciliation with God, freedom from spiritual bondage, and eternal life.
Jesus declared Himself to be the way, the truth, and the life.
This is the message entrusted to the Church.
We're not just inviting people to become more religious or improve their behaviour.
We're inviting them to encounter Jesus.
And that invitation is for everyone.
No One Is Too Far Gone
In Acts 8, Philip later receives direction to leave the activity in Samaria and travel to a desert road.
There he meets an Ethiopian official.
Philip begins a conversation, explains the good news about Jesus, and the man responds in faith and is baptized.
The gospel that brought joy to an entire city also transformed the life of one individual.
God cares about both.
There is no person too far away for His love to reach.
Not the neighbour we barely know.
Not the coworker who seems uninterested.
Not the family member we've stopped praying for.
Not the person whose beliefs or background are completely different from ours.
We can quietly begin placing limits on who we believe God could reach.
But Jesus calls us to go beyond those assumptions.
No one is a write-off to God.
Every person matters to Him.
The Commission Is Ours. The Power Is His.
The closing verses of Mark 16 describe the disciples going out to preach, with the Lord working alongside them.
That's the partnership Jesus invites us into.
We are called to be faithful, but we're not responsible for controlling how everyone responds.
Even the Apostle Paul experienced different reactions when he shared the gospel. Some mocked. Some hesitated. Some believed.
Our mission is not to manufacture results.
Our mission is to obey.
The Holy Spirit is the One who draws people to Jesus.
This gives us both courage and freedom.
We don't need to have every answer, deliver a perfect explanation, or force a particular outcome.
We simply need to be willing to go.
One Prayer. One Investment. One Life.
As Pastor Craig concluded the message, he encouraged us to begin with one person.
Someone in our family. Someone on our street. Someone at work. Someone God has already placed in our lives.
This week, ask the Lord to bring one person to mind.
Begin praying for them by name.
Look for opportunities to invest in their life, listen to their story, share the good news, or extend an invitation.
It might seem small, but the kingdom of God advances through faithful people taking faithful steps.
One prayer at a time.
One conversation at a time.
One invitation at a time.
One life at a time.
Jesus has given us a mission.
The question is whether we're willing to respond.
The commission is ours. The power is His.
Pastor Craig began with the illustration of a child baking cookies instead of cleaning his room. How can we sometimes become distracted by good things while neglecting what Jesus has asked us to do?
What does Jesus' command to “go” mean for you personally in your current season of life?
The sermon challenged us to see our everyday lives as part of God's mission. How might this change the way you approach work, school, family, or friendships?
In Acts 8, persecution scattered the Church and the gospel spread into new places. How have you seen God work through unexpected or difficult circumstances?
Philip went into Samaria despite significant cultural and religious barriers. What boundaries or assumptions might keep us from reaching certain people?
Pastor Craig reminded us that Jesus often goes before us. How does knowing that God is already at work change the way we approach sharing our faith?
Why is it important that our kindness and service are accompanied by a willingness to speak about Jesus?
The sermon emphasized that no one is too far gone for God. Is there someone you've quietly stopped believing could come to know Jesus?
What freedom comes from understanding that we're responsible for obedience, while God is responsible for the results?
Who is one person you believe God is inviting you to pray for, invest in, or reach out to this week?