Mission vision

From our continuing Revival and Reformation series.

—Cheryl Doss, PhD, serves as director of the Institute of World Mission, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8, NIV).

You may have had the experience of getting a new pair of glasses and suddenly your eyes are opened to seeing things like the birds in the trees that you could not see with your old glasses. In Acts 1:8 Jesus says that when the Holy Spirit comes upon His disciples, their eyes will be opened to become His missionaries in their home town, their nation, nearby nations, and the whole world.

This verse suggests that, when it comes to mission, the Holy Spirit helps us see and respond to needs we may have missed before. My husband, who recently got another pair of glasses just for computer use, calls this multifocal mission vision. To do different tasks well, we often need glasses to help us see at every distance. Just so, to do mission, we need the power of the Holy Spirit to help us see and respond to the mission needs at home, in our nation, in nearby nations, and in the whole world.

When our mission vision becomes constricted to only home mission, foreign mission, or any one place or people in between, we need to ask the Holy Spirit to give us new glasses. Holy Spirit power in mission means we will not lose sight of our mission at home as well as our responsibility for mission to every person on earth.

Lord, please give us multifocal mission vision!

—Cheryl Doss, PhD, serves as director of the Institute of World Mission, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States.

—Cheryl Doss, PhD, serves as director of the Institute of World Mission, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States.

February 2016

Download PDF
Ministry Cover

More Articles In This Issue

Building transformational communities

Zechariah’s call to “come out” of Babylon was actually a call to “come in”—into a community that was defined as a remnant. What does that mean for us today?

Adventists in politico-military strife and violence

The church faces spiritual and ecclesiastical issues when it finds itself in a war zone. Should the church and its members ignore the difficult realities that surround them?

Expanding our understanding of present truth

Is there a central theme of Scripture that the church is not fully addressing?

Practical lessons from the woman with the issue of blood

The author shares the story of one who lives her faith; and reveals sobering lessons about the rest of us who wish to do the same,

The three angels’ messages and world religions

Seeing the world through the eyes of others is a critical initial step in communicating biblical principles with them.

Energy depletion

An experienced minister shares valuable advice that can ward off burnout.

View All Issue Contents

Digital delivery

If you're a print subscriber, we'll complement your print copy of Ministry with an electronic version.

Sign up
Advertisement - RevivalandReformation 300x250

Recent issues

See All