At my last church, the senior minister was moved one day to put up a sign over the door. As we left the building, it read, “You are now entering your mission field.” My mind took that simple sign I had seen lots of times and ran with it.
Where is the mission field? Is it really only outside the church? If the mission field is only “out there”, what does that say about me? Well, I am the one walking under the sign so that must mean that I am not part of the mission field. It’s those other people I meet outside the church who REALLY need Jesus.

Even as I write this, I’m smiling at myself, because these thoughts are real! Somewhere in my sinful heart I actually believed this. I actually had those thoughts; poor sinners out there in the world who need Jesus. How ridiculous is that?
I’m sure as you are reading this you are thinking, man I’m glad I don’t think like that… But how often are we like that? How often do we think the sin outside of us is way worse then the sin inside of us?
As we’ve been working through the Sermon on the Mount at FNC, we’ve been seeing how Jesus was critical of the Pharisees. The message from Jesus to us is “Don’t be like them!”
But most the time we are like the Pharisee, perhaps not so much like we read in Matthew 6 and 7, but maybe in Luke 18:9-14 – thanking God we aren’t like everyone else.

Truth is we are.
The difference is we don’t have to be. We are free in Christ. If every Sunday you hear the word, are convicted of sin, yet find yourself repeating the same sins over and over through out the week. You need help. We all need help.
We need to be in a community of believers who love each other enough to call us on our sin, yet humble enough to know they are no better. That is what I would love to see FNC grow to be: somewhere you can practically give support to others and receive it yourself.

So, is the mission field only outside the church?
Oh no! There is a whole different kind right here inside the body. My own heart is the biggest. I find that the hardest thing about being a Christian is actually having to care about others. I mean, really care. Phone calls late at night, uncomfortable conversations, disrupting “your” life-type care. That is what we are called to. That is what should be happening in our churches, in our Growth Groups. If you aren’t involved in a Growth Group, get involved. If you are, welcome to ministry! It’s not for people who have it all together or those with all the answers. In part, it’s for those who are willing to humbly come along side others, help them transform and be transformed. All by the grace of God, for his glory.

As a reminder, maybe at every Growth Group or church meeting we should have a sign that says “You are now entering your mission field.” But, if no one else thinks that’s a good idea. I guess changed lives will work too. ;-)

Neil