Discovering Our Spiritual DNA

I invest myself in another and then another. They invest themselves in others, and so it goes-a multiplication of on mission Christians populating on mission churches. It's God's plan. Metaphorically speaking, when we are reborn in Christ, He instills in us a sort of "new spiritual DNA" that makes us hungry to tell others about Him, that draws us to "younger" Christians we can mentor, that opens our hearts and makes us eager to accept our responsibility for carrying out the Great Commission.

By Meredith Day

Ive never thought of myself as a very good teacher. Unlike most of my friends, I never went through a phase of aspiring to be a teacher, and playing school was always my least favorite activity. My younger sister still claims I made her cry whenever I tried to help her with homework, so its a long-established fact in my family that I dont have the patience to teach.

Thats why everyone (including myself) was skeptical when I got a job as a teaching assistant during my first semester of graduate school. I was assigned 20 students to guide through an introductory journalism class, and I was a nervous wreck by the time of our first class meeting. I didnt feel qualified to instruct anyone about how to do anything.

Imagine my surprise when before long I found that being a teaching assistant was my favorite thing about graduate school. It was an intro class, so each student was required to meet with me once a week in addition to their time spent with me in class. I found that my nervousness about not knowing what to say or do faded as I got to know each student personally. As we formed our relationships and I learned more about their experiences and individual needs, I felt more qualified to offer instruction and encouragement.

So, rather than standing before them each week and delivering a lesson about how to do something, I became a mentor, discussing one-on-one how to be something (in this case, a journalist). What started as a daunting teaching experience became a fulfilling mentoring experience as my focus shifted more to the relationships I was able to form than the words I said.

The same principle applies to my relationships with other Christians who have encouraged me to develop an on mission lifestyle. I value the instruction and encouragement Ive received from my spiritual mentors, because theyve looked at our relationships as processes, not as one-time teaching sessions.

The end result is an instillation into my very being of principles modeled for me, because the emphasis was on the relationship and going through a process together, rather than just a list of rules or steps. Their instruction becomes part of me, because Ive seen it lived out, rather than just talked about.

I like to think that my spiritual mentors encouragement contributes to my on mission DNA, because they invested themselves in my new life in Christ to ensure that joining Gods work is not just something I do, but who I am.

I, in turn, invest myself in another and then another. They invest themselves in others, and so it goesa multiplication of on mission Christians populating on mission churches. Its Gods plan. When we are reborn in Christ, He instills in us a sort of new spiritual DNA that makes us hungry to tell others about Him, that draws us to younger Christians we can mentor, that opens our hearts and makes us eager to accept our responsibility for the Great Commission.

The apostle Paul is such a clear example of the importance of on mission friendships in a Christians life. His letters are filled with encouragement, admonishment, warning and instruction, all aimed at continuing the mentoring process he began with individuals and groups of people he encountered during his ministry.

Pauls friendships offer specific lessons about on mission relationships, but, first, its important to examine his life in order to determine what qualified him to mentor others in becoming more on mission. What enabled Paul to encourage others are the same things in our lives that we must understand before we can encourage our friends toward an on mission lifestyle.

1. A call that couldnt be ignored. Pauls encounter with God on the road to Damascus (Acts 9) left little to interpretation or imagination. God gave Paul clear instructions and let him know that He was aware of where Paul had been and what he had done. The experience resulted in Pauls complete turnaround from persecutor of Christians to a man who would do anything to share the truth of Jesus.

My call wasnt as dramatic as Pauls. I wasnt blinded, and I didnt hear an audible voice telling me exactly what to do. But God calls all Christians to be on mission just as clearly as He called Paul, and the turnaround is just as radical. Gods call to share the gospel is a dynamic instruction that becomes part of our new life at the moment of salvation.  His call cant be ignored by the Christian who is striving to be on mission. But we need the mentoring process to help us discover our role in sharing the gospel.

2. A desire that couldnt be quenched. Pauls desire to tell others about Jesus transcended everything else in his life, including his safety and comfort. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given methe task of testifying to the gospel of Gods grace (Acts 20:23-24 NIV).

Ive often let myself slip into thinking that Pauls fervor for seeing people come to Christ was a special case, stemming from his own dramatic salvation experience. Ive let myself get away with half-hearted empathy for those who dont know Him. But Tracy Jones, who serves as a national coordinator and trainer for HeartCall, a North American Mission Board ministry that encourages women toward a lifestyle of evangelism, says her desire to be on mission comes from something all Christians have deep within their new being.

Im a desperate Christian, because Ive never forgotten how it feels to be lost.

Everyone to whom Jesus has given a new life knows how different that life is from the old one. Even if we came as children, there is a definite change that marks the beginning of a spiritual journey, and when we remember how it felt to be without God, it increases our desire for others to know Him. Because we know how our lives have been changed, sharing Gods work in our lives with others becomes a natural outgrowth of our relationship with Him. And influencing otherssuch as our fellow church membersto be more on mission becomes not just an activity of mentoring but who we are.

3. A mission that couldnt be completed alone. Pauls ministry to the early church was mammoth, and he knew he couldnt do it by himself. Several of his letters open with thanksgiving for friends and associates who joined him in his mission. I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you, always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now (Philippians 1:3-5).

God calls us to fellowship with other believers, not only in talking about what He is doing in our lives, but also in joining together to tell His story. Pauls fellowship with other believers was complete because they were working together toward one purpose. We have the same call: to encourage each other in the faith so that people can see how Jesus lives inside us.

Pauls friendships with fellow Christians offer distinct lessons about how to encourage each other and about the benefits we receive when we work together to live lives that are on mission.

Barnabas: A lesson in faith
When Paul tried to join other believers in Jerusalem after his experience in Damascus, they were afraid of him because of his past. Suspicious that he might be spying on them in order to do more harm to the fledgling church, they refused to welcome him into their fellowship. But Barnabas had faith in the change God had made in Pauls life.

When he arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to associate with the discples, but they were all afraid of him, since they did not believe he was a disciple. Barnabas, however, took him and brought him to the apostles and explained to them how, on the road, Saul had seen the Lord and that He had talked to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken boldly in the name of Jesus. Saul was coming and going with them in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord(Acts 9:26-28).

More than a belief in Paul himself, Barnabas had full faith that God had worked in Paul and was sensitive to the evidence of that work in Pauls life. Because he stepped out in that faith and vouched for Paul, they were able to speak boldly in the name of the Lord together.

Although the new Christians whom we mentor in an on mission lifestyle might not have pasts as checkered as Pauls, there is something that shames all of us about our lives before Christ. In order to encourage my friends in their spiritual journeys, I have to recognize that God has changed their lives as well as my own, and past sins are fully covered by His grace. Because we have evidence of Gods grace in our own lives, we can wholeheartedly vouch for fellow believers.

Remembering how God has changed us from withingiving us spiritual DNAallows His Word to take root in our lives, resulting in a lifestyle in which we are actively looking for and participating in Gods work. Our job then becomes encouraging other Christian friends to recognize the same change within themselves and act on it accordingly. The end result, we hope and pray, will be a church full of believers who multiply themselves and multiply our churches.

Titus: A lesson in perspective
One of the main themes of Pauls ministry was the fact that God extended grace through Jesus to all people, Jews and Gentiles. Because many of his opponents insisted that strict adherence to the Jewish law was required for salvation, Pauls writings emphasize grace as the only way to redemption. His friendship with Titus, a Greek, gave Paul a living, breathing example of this doctrine. In answer to the argument that Christians should be circumcised, Paul called upon Titus to show his listeners that Jesus power was greater than the law. But not even Titus who was with me, though he was a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. This issue arose because of false brothers smuggled in, who came in secretly to spy on our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, in order to enslave us. But we did not yield in submission to these people for even an hour, so that the truth of the gospel might remain with you (Galatians 2:3-5).

Pauls letter to Titus offers another reminder of the doctrine of grace when the apostle urges Titus to avoid foolish debates, genealogies, quarrels, and disputes about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless (Titus 3:9).

Paul was mindful of the different perspective Titus brought to the ministry and encouraged him to use his experience to reach others with the gospel. In encouraging others to be on mission, its important to focus on the gifts each person brings, both spiritual gifts and the personal experiences that define a persons spiritual journey. Because Paul recognized that Titus added a new perspective to the message, he encouraged Titus to tailor his on mission activities to reflect his experience. Paul encouraged a lifestyle of on mission activity (rather than just a one-time occurrence) in Titus by encouraging the development of his personal ministry strengths. Paul recognized that these strengths were part of the new man Titus had become as a new creature in Christ.

Timothy: A lesson in lessons
Of all Pauls ministry associates, I identify most with Timothy. In his letters to Timothy, Paul offers constant encouragement and teaching, mindful of Timothys youth and relative inexperience. It is in Pauls friendship with Timothy that we see the clearest example of a mentoring relationship. He first demonstrated the on mission life by taking Timothy along on his second missionary journey; later, he writes to the Corinthians that he is sending Timothy to them to remind them of what Paul taught them (1 Corinthians 4:17).

Paul was aware of Gods call in Timothys life (like Barnabas had been toward Gods call in Pauls life) and thus set out to train him in the faith, always mindful that Timothy had ultimately been called by God. Although Paul instructed him, he constantly reminded Timothy of Gods sovereignty in the work He called Timothy to do. Timothy, my child, I am giving you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies previously made about you, so that by them you may strongly engage in battle, having faith and a good conscience (1 Timothy 1:18). Paul prepared Timothy for ministry, first by demonstrating it on the second missionary journey and later by writing letters while Timothy was serving away from Paul. Even though they were separated, Paul maintained the relationship in order to continue to mentor Timothy.

When encouraging fellow believers to be on mission, we can follow Pauls steps, demonstrating an on mission life and then providing resources for our friends that prepare them for their own mission. Pauls close fellowship with Timothy throughout his ministry is a reminder of the importance of

keeping in contact with other Christians, sharing experiences in our spiritual journeys and hearing how God has worked in each others lives. Continued fellowship with believers encourages us as Christians to think about our part in Gods work as a process in which we are made more like Him, not only in our actions but in the very fiber of our being.

Silas: A lesson in partnership
In his friendship with Paul, Silas was somewhat of a silent partner. We dont know much about him, except that he was with Paul on a missionary journey and that the two were thrown into jail after freeing a slave girl from a spirit and angering her owner. According to the account in Acts 16, Paul and Silas sat in the jail and prayed and sang hymns together until an earthquake freed them from their chains. They shared the gospel with the distraught jailer, who believed and then told his family about Jesus.

In the account in Acts, Silas never speaks by himself. He and Paul are always mentioned together, unified in everything they did. Silas friendship to Paul is a lesson in partnership because he went with Paul and stuck with him through persecution, imprisonment, an earthquake and the salvation of the jailer and his family.

Sometimes, the best way to encourage those around us to be on mission is to go with them, partnering like Paul and Silas. Being willing to go with an on mission friend provides a network of support for discouraging times and someone with whom to share the joy of Gods work. Partnering with an on mission friend can also make us even more aware of Gods work in the world and in our own lives.

Pauls relationships with Barnabas, Titus, Timothy and Silas are examples of how on mission Christians can encourage each other in the ministry of sharing Christ with others and becoming more and more aware of His work. By having faith that God has called each of us to share Him despite our shortcomings, we can enable other Christians in the on mission lifestyle just as Barnabas enabled Paul by vouching for him with the other believers. When we encourage fellow believers to use their own experiences to tell the story of Gods work in their lives, we widen the perspective of our ministry just as Titus helped to expand the scope of Pauls ministry. When we have an opportunity to mentor or be mentored by another Christian in developing a daily on mission lifestyle, we receive the encouragement of someone demonstrating that lifestyle for us, just as Paul did for Timothy. And finally, when we partner with another on mission Christian, we can provide encouragement and support for each other and share in the joy of Gods work in each others lives.

Our relationships with other Christians help us to develop an on mission lifestyle, rather than just participating in an occasional event or outreach. Joining in Gods work becomes a process and not just a matter of one-time instruction. Relationships in which we mentor other believers or are mentored by them emphasize the importance of continual fellowship and encouragement in learning how to be on mission, so that being on mission becomes who we are as Christians and fulfilling the Great Commission is who we are as Gods Church.

Meredith Day, a freelance writer in Duluth, Georgia, soon heads to New York City as one of NAMBs US/C2 missionaries.

A heartcall for mentoring
All of my Christian relationships, all of my lifelines, have been mentoring relationships in some way, says Tracy Jones, national coordinator, trainer and self-proclaimed cheerleader for HeartCall, a ministry dedicated to encouraging women to practice lifestyle evangelism. Jones, a first-generation Christian, says she has depended on her friendships with other Christians to provide the mentoring that she didnt receive from her family members.

Tracys experience with HeartCall began after she was mentored by women in her church in Houston. As a part of a group called Women in Prayer that met in author and speaker Beth Moores home, Tracy said she came into contact with key women who served as examples of an on mission lifestyle for her. When she shared about her churchs womens ministry at a womens leadership conference, Jaye Martin, NAMBs Womens Evangelism Strategist, asked her to serve on a HeartCall task force. Since then, Tracy has worked to develop videos and devotional materials aimed toward giving women a permission slip to share the gospel. Tracy says women are often afraid of not knowing what to say if they get into an evangelistic encounter. HeartCall seeks to give women confidence in sharing their faith and seeking opportunities to reach others through a lifestyle of evangelism.

And Tracy herself has become a mentor. Some of her family members came to Christ after she shared her experiences with them, and she travels to evangelism conferences training and equipping other women to share their faith. She also encourages women over the phone and email to lead on mission lives.

Tracy also brought a special HeartCall emphasis to Macedonia Baptist Church, her home church in Longview, Texas. When the ministry first began, she asked her pastor, Steve Cochran, if she could train the women in the church in the four-week HeartCall course. During HeartCall month, Tracy says the women in her church were given courage and began to see their daily lives as full of opportunities to share the gospel. It got all of the women on the same page, to lead a daily lifestyle of evangelism, Tracy says.