The Power of Being THERE
A MESSAGE BY KENT MUNSEY
In the final installment of our Missio Dei series, we look at Matthias. In the first chapter of Acts, Jesus has already ascended into Heaven and he has given the apostles the great commission. The great commission is to go out into the world, witness the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and make disciples to build his church.
- First God establishes His People
- Second God establishes His Power
- Third God establishes his Purpose
The 11 apostles that remained since Judas' betrayal of Jesus, are to go to Jerusalem and await the Holy Spirit. First, the apostles must replace the vacancy that Judas has created among them. The apostles found it necessary to choose a man that had been with them the entire time that Jesus was living among them. This included the time of John's baptism of Jesus, up until the time that Jesus was resurrected. This was important because the person that is chosen would have to be a witness of Christ's resurrection.
There were two men that were nominated, Joseph calledBarsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. The apostles casted their lots, and Matthias was chosen as the 12th apostle to replace Judas. Matthias' eligibility was based primarily on the fact that he was there.
Before you can be faithful with an opportunity from God, you have to first get there.
Finding our 'There Place'
Not every moment is an equal opportunity moment. We must remain faithful and stand, so that when the Missio Dei door opens we can walk through it. Matthias remained faithful and he essentially became one of the 12 apostles because he showed up. Matthias was consistently present among Jesus' followers for over 3 years. In that time, Matthias wasn't called upon once. Nevertheless, he was steadfast and remained faithful. A lot of times we have to be faithful and patiently wait on God for His blessing. We too often get caught up in moving on to the next place, and as a result, we move away from opportunities to walk through Missio Dei doors. We have to find our 'there place' and stay planted.
Staying Rooted
Once we find our place, it is important that we stay rooted there. Times may come when God wants to move us to a new place, but we have to be careful that our moves are part of God's mission. We can't uproot ourselves and move because we get hurt. Our God is perfect, but the reality is that there are no perfect churches. The church is made up of human people, and we are flawed. We have the ability to make mistakes. There is no such thing as a perfect church, however all churches should seek to be perfected. When we live planted in God's house, He can place us in position to walk through wide opened Missio Dei doors.