Feeling the pressure to hold everything together yourself? The radical comfort of the gospel is this: you are not your own – you belong to Jesus, the one who holds all things. This radically changes our view of life, church and mission.
‘For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things were created through him and for him.’ Colossians 1:16
‘What is your only comfort in life and in death?’ How would you answer? This is the first question of the Heidelberg Catechism and is answered with: ‘That I am not my own, but belong – body and soul, in life and in death – to my faithful Saviour, Jesus Christ.’
However, the answer does not stop there. It continues: ‘Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.’
Before you recoil at the thought of being owned by Jesus, contrast this with our modern way of thinking. Nobody put it better than Taylor Swift when she said, ‘I know it can be really overwhelming figuring out who to be, and when, who you are now and how to act in order to get where you want to go. I have some good news: it’s totally up to you. I also have some terrifying news: it’s totally up to you.’1 Perhaps you have experienced the terror of thinking you are your own. There is an overwhelming burden of not belonging to a faithful Saviour and of not living for him.
In Colossians 1, Paul states the comforting truth that that we were created by Jesus and for Jesus. In fact, ‘all things were created through him and for him.’ What are the implications as we engage in global mission?
Firstly, the fact that ‘all things were created through him and for him’ places all our earthly treasures in their proper place. Our lives, our families, our health and comforts are not the highest priorities. Our rights, entitlements, and personal preferences are not paramount. Jesus Christ is supreme, and we exist for him. The things in our lives which may have taken first place and kept us from living for him are assigned their rightful place.
Secondly, if ‘all things were created through him and for him’, then logically that includes my church or my ministry. Let’s be honest, we can be tempted to become territorial about our own church or ministry. We all want our church or ministry to bear fruit, and we may think to ourselves: ‘Surely a local church with healthy finances and a strong team of volunteers will only enhance the proclamation of the gospel?!’ But the pattern for gospel-proclaiming churches in the New Testament and throughout history is weakness, not strength, and poverty, not riches. Isn’t that what the testimonies of ministries in Cuba and North India in this issue of Link tell us?
Imagine how the early church felt sending out the apostles. It would have been so appealing to keep them in Jerusalem – but then the ends of the earth would never have been reached. Please don’t mishear me – identifying, training and sending gifted people out from our churches is inherently costly. But the people we send out and the resources we spend were created by him and for him. Ultimately, they are his.
This is a helpful caution for Crosslinks too, and the mission partners we support. A misplaced sense of ownership of people or places could lead us to sinfully compete with other organisations, mission workers or local Christians. Because Christ is the heir of all people and all places, we pursue partnerships and cooperation with local Christians, other mission partners and other sending organisations.
Perhaps this business of living wholeheartedly for him all sounds too risky. We want to resist. We want to retain what we believe is ours. There are many good challenges to that mindset, but perhaps the simplest here is to keep reading the Heidelberg Catechism:
‘He [Jesus] has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven; in fact, all things must work together for my salvation.’
This is the one to whom we belong, to whom you belong. This is the one we can wholeheartedly live for. This is what he is like. What a comfort, in life and in death!
1 Taylor Swift’s Commencement Address at New York University’s 188th Commencement at Yankee Stadium, 18 May 2022