We’re Back!

“The spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions. The nearer we get to Him, the more intensely missionary we become.” — Henry Martyn

This was one of the many quotes hung and painted around our dorms at MCM. Over the past week, our team encountered the God of the Scriptures in a way that drew out his clear mandate for us to reach the unreached. Today, there are about 3.15 billion people who have not only never heard of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but have no access to ever hear it. Many of these people will perish into a Christ-less eternity. But Jesus, in his last words before ascending to heaven, he gave us the Great Mandate to “go and make disciples of all nations.” Today, this unfinished task remains in the most difficult to reach corners of the earth and the task rests in the hands of believers to obediently and faithfully fulfill. John Piper famously said, “Go, send, or disobey.” Church, our options towards this final commission of our Lord and Saviour are few. Where will we stand on this?

Over the past week, our team built four humble shelters for four families, we visited an orphanage, we caught a glimpse of poverty, we experienced the hospitality and kindness of the Mexican people, and encountered the resurrected Christ. There is no question in my mind that our team was radically impacted by the messages that we heard at MCM. MCM exists to be a ministry which focuses on mobilizing believers and I firmly believe that they impassioned our team to reconsider our role in the unfinished task. On our team, many of us made some radical commitments in terms of how we would change the way we live. Some vowed to delete social media off their phones in order to clear the distractions of this world, others vowed to memorize Scripture and to read more books in order to understand the God of mission, some committed to praying for the unreached, and others committed even to learning new languages in order perhaps to one day go.

For me, one of the most impactful things that I experienced at MCM was their discipline of time. While we were there, we woke up every morning at 6:30 am, then had a time of quiet devotions from 7:00, before having breakfast at 7:30 (devos before coffee!) and a two-hour teaching session from 8:00 to 10:00 am. Why was this early, regimented schedule necessary? Because we are truly unable to engage in God’s work each day if we are not first filled, fueled, and empowered by him. We needed to be saturated in his Word in order to begin his work. Then, at the end of the day, 10:30 pm was the dedicated quiet time. This was the time for quiet reflection and conversations about what God was doing in our lives. After that, the lights were out at 11:00 pm sharp. This was truly a discipline of time that highlighted and prioritized the need for God first thing each morning.

Prior to this, the idea of waking up so early and being so regimented seemed like an impossible task to me. How could I possibly sleep by 11 and be up by 6:30?! But, under the disciplined example of the MCM interns, I quickly discovered that this was not only possible, but supremely beneficial and necessary. If the mercies of God are new every morning, what better thing can I do but seek Him with the first moments of each day and be filled and empowered by the one who gives us me life? As a result, I, along with several on the team, have committed to continue keeping to the MCM discipline of time (so if you message me after 11 and I don’t get back to you, sorry! — I might be asleep already!).

Without a doubt, our team was radically impacted by the speakers at MCM and the overall experience. However, the question still remains: have we been radically changed though? This question can only be answered in time and by the fruit that may be produced in the days, weeks, and months ahead. We have all made certain commitments before God and now we pray that he would give us the strength and faith to uphold them. And so with his help, I am excited to see what God may lead each of us to next in the days ahead.

To our team, I pray that you in fact have been radically impacted for the Kingdom. I hope that your view of mission has been broadened and that you would be brought to reconsider how you would participate in this final, unfinished task of reaching the unreached. I pray as well that you would indeed have the strength and perseverance to uphold the commitments you made and that God would indeed be continuing to shape and groom you for His glory.

Church, I ask that you would pray for us as we settle back and as we process all that we experienced. We look forward to sharing more with you about our journey and where God is leading us next. Stay tuned for more!

To the glory of God alone,
Pastor Darren