Do you have an acknowledged, recognized, specific mission field? You might think, “What in the world is he talking about? I’m not a missionary!” Too often, we tend to think of missionaries are those specially called and gifted individuals who go off to some far-away land to share the gospel with those who have not heard. We don’t apply the term ‘missionary’ to self.

That, in my estimation, is one of the major reasons Christianity has taken a back seat to other world religions in our present American culture. We think that being a missionary is someone else’s job, someone else’s task, someone else’s calling. That mentality frees us from a sense of responsibility in the tasks of missions work.

Before I go any further with this blog, it would probably be helpful if I defined exactly what I am referring to by the term missionary. I am using the word in the Biblical sense of simply being on mission for the Lord Jesus Christ. I realize there are those who experience a powerful calling from God to serve in full-time vocational missions work. But the fact of the matter is that the overwhelming majority of us will never experience such a calling as this.

I am not speaking here of that type of missionary. I am speaking, rather, about every believer in Jesus Christ; every individual who has experienced the saving power of God’s grace through the sacrificial death of Christ. Every individual believer is on mission for the glory of our Lord. Yes, we are all missionaries.

Now to the question posed in the title: what is your mission field? You do have one, you know. It is specific to you. It is your God-appointed place of mission work. And this is one thing I can say with absolute certainty: I know exactly where YOUR mission field is! That’s right – you read that last sentence correctly. This is one answer I can give with no fear that I will steer you wrong. I know what you’re thinking: That sure is arrogant for him to say! But please, hear me out.

It may be a foreign thought to some, because it is not a clearly taught principle you will find in the teachings of contemporary American Christianity. We are taught, more indirectly than directly, that our Christian expression is confined to certain hours of certain days of the week. We express our Christianity when we are gathered with other Christians. This is our common belief, and our common experience.

But this is not the Biblical portrait of personal missionary activity. The clearly taught concept that is seen in Scripture is that – here it is – your mission field is wherever you are, with whomever you are, everywhere you are, every moment of every day. In other words, we are missionaries 24/7/365. There is no time off. We are to be missionally minded and missionally intentional constantly.

This may seem to be an overly simplistic concept, and you may be wondering why I would write a blog on this topic. Let me explain. There seems to be a rather dramatic line of demarcation we make in our understanding of the demands of our Christian faith. We are Christian, first and foremost. Our relationship with Jesus Christ should be the number one priority in life for each of us. We are redeemed by the precious blood He shed on the cross, paying the penalty of our sin, and suffering the punishment we so rightly deserve. We are, as the Apostle Paul stated, Christ’s possession. We have been bought with a price.

I represent Him everywhere I go. So, my mission field, your mission field, is wherever we are at any given moment.

Now, let me draw this to a close by making some personal observations. For some reason, so many professing Christians seem to have adopted the mentality that what I am when gathered with other believers, and what I am when gathered with non-believers, are two entirely different and unrelated matters. I can just blend in with whomever, wherever, and whatever.

But Jesus taught that His disciples are to be salt and light. We are to let others see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven. We are to be His representatives as we fulfill our mission of showing Him to the world and sharing Him with the world.

That means that what you do on your job, in your classroom, in your community, in the check-out line at Wal Mart, on social media, is a representation of your relationship with Jesus Christ. You are on mission, and you are a witness. You may be a good witness, or a very bad witness, but you ARE a witness.

In the recent past, Christians have had amazing opportunities to display His love, grace, compassion, and message in the midst of an explosive political quagmire. But, we have stooped to bashing, lashing out, with no sense of civility, no sense of respect. Can’t we disagree with others civilly? Can’t we respect others even when we disagree vehemently? Do we have to become bombastic, even barbaric, in the way we show our disagreement and disapproval?

Please remember that we are on mission. Our first priority is to be representatives of our Lord and Savior. So, let’s get out there and represent Him well!