We're All Missionaries: Sent to Speak, Act, and Pray

Introduction

When you hear the word "mission," what comes to mind? Often you picture 19th-century images: faith adventurers braving unknown lands and peoples thousands of miles from home. Those people had real courage, but missteps and abuses were hard to avoid, our era's sensitivity to the effects of colonialism reminds us of that, unfortunately. The result: with that image in mind, you quickly conclude that mission is "for heroes, not for me." Mireille Boissonnat invites us to revisit that word. Of course, God does send some people far from home, into a very different cultural context. But reducing mission to that one model narrows its meaning. Drawing on John 17:14-21 and Jeremiah 29:1-7, she reminds us of something simple and weighty: we are all sent, right where God has placed us, to speak, act, and intercede.

Sermon outline

1. Jesus' mandate: sent into the world (John 17:14-21)

• Jesus addresses his Father just before his passion, in the presence of his disciples. We often remember mostly the theme of Christian unity. That's true, Jesus deeply desires his children to be one, so they bear credible witness to the Father's love shown in the Son.
• But the passage also says something about your situation. Verse 18: "As you sent me into the world, I also sent them into the world." Jesus doesn't intend to gather you into a protected pen, sheltered from danger and risk. You are sent, as he was, to carry on his work, a work of proclamation, liberation, and compassion.
• The goal is ambitious. Paul writes to Timothy: "God our Savior... desires all people to be saved and come to full knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:4). You are called to step into God's plan of salvation for humanity, carrying forward what he has been doing since the dawn of time.
• Jesus warns that his disciples will face the same hostility he did, from a world that remains defiant toward God's call. That's why he takes care to equip you. His prayer is powerful. He asks the Father to keep you from evil, he offers himself entirely to God for you, so that his truth may dwell in you and your communion with the Father may be complete.
• In verse 20, he mentions a concrete aspect of this mission: using words to bring others to believe. Paul puts it to the Romans in a way that echoes John: "How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in him whom they have not heard? How will they hear without a preacher? And how will they preach unless they are sent?" (Romans 10:14-15).
• So here's one way to live out your mission: through words. Some are more gifted at this than others, but it's still part of the witness you owe to those who don't yet believe.

2. The exiles' lesson: seek the peace of the city (Jeremiah 29:1-7)

• We're at the end of the 6th century BC. The Babylonians have deported Jerusalem's elite to Babylon. The prophet Jeremiah, still in Jerusalem, knows the return won't come soon. False prophets claim otherwise, to boost morale, without calling the people to the one thing that could actually improve their situation: obeying God.
• Jeremiah then writes the exiles a surprising letter. He doesn't tell them, "Stay on edge, wait, refuse to put down roots." He tells them: "Build houses and dwell in them. Plant gardens and eat their fruit. Take wives and father sons and daughters... Multiply there, and don't be diminished" (Jeremiah 29:5-6).
• The link with John 17 is the idea of exile. In Jeremiah, exile is very literal, over 600 miles from home. In John, exile is symbolic: the Christian lives in the world, a hostile world, without belonging to the world. In both cases, God's people share the human condition while not sharing the nature of "citizens of the prince of this world." Your allegiance belongs to the Savior and Lord God who has welcomed you into his family and promises you his eternal kingdom. Hence the tensions and dilemmas that can so often press in on you.
• Look at what the prophet asks of these exiles. Rather than taking refuge in the vain hope of an almost immediate return to Jerusalem, they are invited to fulfill their mission well: bearing witness, right where they are, to the God they believe in, who has already acted on their behalf so many times.
• The invitation culminates in verse 7: "Seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace." Peace here should be understood broadly and materially: wholeness, confidence in the future, fulfillment of promises.
• In other words, God asks his children to contribute to the well-being of a place they hate and would rather leave as soon as possible. That's not easy. What you'd expect in that kind of circumstance (and what would feel almost justified), is withdrawal, an obsession with purity inside a small, well-guarded circle, or simple self-reliance. But no. The exiles are called to decenter themselves, to take into account the needs of those around them, to do their part so that things go well for everyone, Babylonians and Israelites alike.

3. Three ways to live your mission: speak, act, pray

• Speak. This is the path found in John 17:20 and Romans 10:14-15. Some are more gifted at this than others. But you owe this witness to those who don't yet believe. How will they believe if no one is there to tell them?
• Act. Become aware of the struggles your neighbors face. Do what you can to help, wherever you can. Take your share of the hardships your neighbors carry. Return good for evil. This can take many forms of engagement: nonprofits, causes fighting society's failures or injustices, political choices that call for discernment and uncompromising decisions. Many Christians are already present wherever goodwill is needed. Being "the salt of the earth and the light of the world," as Jesus puts it, also means acting with the courage and compassion the Lord modeled.
• Pray. Perhaps the hardest one. Jeremiah urges it on the exiles. Paul asks it of Timothy again. You are urged to pray for authorities. It's a weighty responsibility, and you may not always feel like it.
• Notice this: both the prophet and the apostle tie your intercession for the world's peace to your own ability to live in peace. It sounds a bit like a bargain. But above all, it challenges you to take your mission seriously. Praying this way is what shapes you into the peacemaker and servant of reconciliation you're called to be.
• Praying for your city, for its various leaders, means entering into God's plan of revelation and salvation for every human being. It may also open your eyes to the steps you can take for one person or another, to useful actions right around you. Not easy, we'll grant you that. But try.

Key takeaways

• Mission isn't first a map of the world. It's a mandate. "As you sent me into the world, I also sent them into the world" (John 17:18). You are sent right where life has placed you.
• You are in the world without being of the world. That tension is normal. It doesn't give you permission to withdraw, it calls you to engage, like the exiles in Babylon.
• Seeking the peace of your city means contributing to the good of people you wouldn't have chosen. It means returning good for evil.
• Your mission wears three ordinary faces: speak, act, pray. Each according to the gifts you've received, according to the circumstances where God places you.
• Jesus doesn't send you without equipping you. His prayer in chapter 17 keeps you, sets you apart by the truth, and makes communion with the Father possible.

Personal application

• Where has God placed you today: neighborhood, workplace, school, family? Make a list of the people you cross paths with every week. Who might need a witness from you, a word, an action, or intercession?
• Is there a place, a city, a neighborhood you'd rather flee than serve? What does Jeremiah 29:7 change about how you see that place?
• Of the three paths (speak, act, pray), which comes most naturally to you? Which one scares you or wears you out the most? What can you do this week to engage the path you tend to avoid?
• Do you regularly pray for your authorities, mayor, government, employer, your kids' school? Pick one today and pray for them for seven days.
• Where are you already taking your share of your neighbors' struggles? Where could you start, even in a small way, to return good for evil?

Scriptures cited

• John 17:14-21 · the high priestly prayer: "As you sent me into the world, I also sent them into the world"
• Jeremiah 29:1-7 · the letter to the exiles: "Seek the peace of the city"
• 1 Timothy 2:4 · God desires all people to be saved
• Romans 10:14-15 · "How will they hear without a preacher?"
• Matthew 5:13-14 · you are the salt of the earth and the light of the world
• 1 Timothy 2:1-2 · praying for authorities so we may live peaceful lives
• 2 Peter 1:4 · called to become partakers of the divine nature

Further reading

• How to Integrate Newcomers into a Small Group
• Christian Leadership: Biblical Principles and Practical Advice
• Best Church Event Photography Tips

Frequently asked questions

Do you have to go abroad to be a missionary?

No. Reducing mission to the 19th-century image (the faith adventurer crossing oceans), narrows the meaning of the word. Of course, God does send some people far from home. But in John 17:18, Jesus says to his Father, "As you sent me into the world, I also sent them into the world." You are sent right where life has placed you: your neighborhood, your workplace, your city. You don't need to go to the ends of the earth to live out your mission.

What does it mean to "seek the peace of the city" in Jeremiah 29:7?

God asks the exiles in Babylon to contribute to the well-being of a city they hate and would rather leave. "Seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it" (Jeremiah 29:7). Peace here should be understood broadly: wholeness, prosperity, confidence in the future. For you today, that means becoming aware of the struggles the people around you face, offering help where you can, and returning good for evil.

How do I pray for my city and its authorities when I don't feel like it?

Jeremiah asks it of the exiles. Paul asks it of Timothy again in the New Testament. Praying for authorities is a weighty responsibility, and you don't always feel like doing it. The prophet even ties our intercession to our own ability to live in peace, which sounds almost like a bargain, but really it's a challenge to take your mission seriously. Praying this way is what shapes you into a peacemaker and a servant of reconciliation. Start small: pray for your mayor, for a difficult neighbor, for something going on right now. God will open your eyes to the steps you can take.