“I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:4-6)
What do we mean by a Mission Support Community?
The Mission of God
Jesus came on a mission from God. He came to rescue God’s family and to restore God’s creation. By His life, death and resurrection, Jesus has released the captives (from sin, guilt, shame, judgment) and reversed the curse. As Saviour and Lord, Jesus is making this world “very good” (Genesis 1:31) again.
As followers of Jesus, we have been rescued and restored, and we reign with Jesus as God’s children in a God-like way. We share in Jesus’s Mission to make this world “very good” again. We are sent, like Jesus, into the world to reverse the curse and restore God’s children… on earth as it is in heaven.
Each and every Jesus follower is called and sent as a missionary in their own location. My mission is where I am, and your mission is where you are. But we do not work alone.
Supporters in the Mission
Jesus raises up partners in mission to work with us. Some of these partners will be working with us. Other partners will support us from a distance. These are our mission supporters. Some examples from scripture include:
- Moses, Aaron and Hur supporting Joshua and his army in battle (Exodus 17:8-16)
- Jesus and the disciples supported by the women (Luke 8:1-3)
- The believers in Jerusalem being supported by the Macedonian believers (2 Corinthians 8:1-5)
- Paul being supported by the Philippian “partners in the gospel” (Philippians 1:3,4:10-20)
Each of these provided the back up support (prayer, encouragement, financial support) for front-line workers elsewhere, even as they also personally lived out their own mission and calling where they were.
Mission Possible Canada specifically supports the front-line workers in Haiti who are actively equipping the next generation of Christ-centered leaders for Haiti! Our missionary staff are the Haitian Christians working in the schools and churches in Haiti. We are their mission supporters!
Joining a Community of Supporters
We are more than individual supporters. We are a community of supporters who are connected by location (Canada), faith (in Jesus) and a commitment (to the children and nation of Haiti).
Our hope is to be a community, to experience a personal connection with each other. As one supporter shared with me:
“Welcome to MP Canada! I look forward to “meeting you” in person or phone or whatever the case may be as time goes on. I have always loved the personal-ness of MP Canada. Such a small team, I have had a first name basis relationship with everyone since I was about 12 yrs old (I am now 40).
Not everyone will be called to partner with us. That is fine.
But as Jesus followers we are called to be actively engaged in His kingdom mission somewhere. This engagement is not only for us personally. We are encouraged to find ways to support others in their mission. Be inspired by the Macedonians, and urgently plead for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. Be motivated by Moses, Aaron and Hur, or the women who were with Jesus, and offer your support to those who are actively engaged on the front-lines.