Hi friends! Excitement is building to a crescendo as our group of four awaits tomorrow’s launch day! Not only are we excited to go to Israel, but we are all committed to the mission God has invited us to join in! If you have followed, perhaps you walked through our 3-week Bible study together, entitled ON MISSION with God. Perhaps you are wondering what is meant when we talk about being ON MISSION with God. As I have spoken to groups, some have asked about that theme. So, I want to go a bit deeper in explaining it.

Almost 35 years ago, Henry Blackaby and Claude King wrote one of the most impactful Bible studies in modern Christendom. At least 7 million people in churches literally around the world have studied Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God, while at least another 2 million have read the book. It’s simple, yet powerful, “7 realities” are memorable and have left indelible marks on many of our lives.

The most often-quoted phrase of the study is this: Look to see where God is at work and join Him there. The authors then introduce 7 realities to support that basic premise. In short, here are those 7 realities with short examples of how they fit with our mission to Israel.

1. God is always at work around us. Every person is in a different place, yet God is at work in different ways all around us.
2. God desires a love relationship that is intimate and personal. That means He knows us and wants us to know Him as well. In getting to know God intimately, we learn His heart, and He imparts desires and passions within us. As we walk in intimacy with Him, our desires and passions may change as we align ourselves with Him.
3. God invites us to join Him in His work. Where is He at work? What has He given us passion for? We each have a unique relationship with Him, so it is different for each of us. But, if we know Him intimately, we cannot deny His work in our sphere or His invitation for us to join Him. For Christians, it is never a question of whether God is working and inviting us, but where and how! Each of us on this trip has a God-given passion for Israel and Israel’s Messiah, so our heart aligns with His in our desire to love and serve the people of Israel.
4. God speaks by the Holy Spirit through prayer and His Word. At times, though not always, confirmation and encouragement may come through church and our circumstances. For those of us going, God has undeniably spoken through the Holy Spirit as we have prayed and immersed ourselves in His Word. We have also each had various means of confirmation, whether through encouragement through mature Christian friends, our pastors, or circumstances that gave us greater assurance of God’s calling.
5. His invitation leads to a crisis of faith. Each of us has also faced hardships that caused us to question: “Is God really leading me to go to Israel? This is a tough challenge…does He really want me to go? Is it really worth 2 weeks of vacation to go on my own dime to work?” In the beginning, our group size was twice as large, but at the moment of crisis of faith, it became clear to half our group members that either God was not calling, or the crisis of faith proved too great. (Perhaps due to fear, lack of commitment to follow through, or any number of other things.) Better to fail in the crisis of faith than to go without the confidence of being led by the Spirit! So, God whittled down our size!
6. To join in His work requires adjustments. Adjustments such as giving up our own expectations of what the process should look like, or being willing to engage in spiritual battle, if necessary. Each person faced adversity that brought into question whether or not we were doing the right thing. The enemy used all sorts of plots and schemes to thwart God’s plan. Yet, each of us remained convinced and committed that the Holy Spirit leading us was not a mistake!
7. We know God by experience when we choose to obey Him. It is then that He accomplishes His will in our lives. We are choosing to commit ourselves in obedience to Him, regardless to what He may ask of us as we go. We are at His service, and we serve at His command.

This is not a sightseeing tour or a vacation. We are ON MISSION with God. Only through commitment to obedience will we see Him accomplish what He desires in and through us! We see our mission as being the hands and feet of Jesus, sharing His love with every person He puts in our path…and it will be joyous! But I suspect His mission is far greater than we think or imagine! Not only will He bless those we encounter, but we will come home different people as well.

That’s what it’s like to be ON MISSION with God!

We leave tomorrow. Please follow along right here for daily updates. We want to share the experience with you as well!