How To Find Your God-Given Mission
What is your mission? Is it to be faithful at church on Sunday, work hard Monday through Friday, and keep your head down in a troubled world? Is it to win souls, pursue justice, or simply be kind?
Scripture gives a bigger, clearer, and more demanding answer: the risen Lord Jesus Christ claims all authority in heaven and on earth and summons you to live a covenant‑keeping, God‑glorifying life that advances His Kingdom across every sphere of human culture (Mt. 28:18–20; Col. 3:17).
Your mission is not an add‑on to private spirituality; it is your whole life, in Christ, for His Kingdom.
How You Discover and Walk in That Mission.
1) Start Where God Has Already Spoken
Creation: God made man to bear His image and exercise dominion—cultivating, guarding, and building culture to the glory of God (Gen. 1:26–28; 2:15).
Fall: Sin bent our hearts and our cultural work toward autonomy—using God’s gifts for our own name (Gen. 11:4; Rom. 1:21–25).
Redemption: In the fullness of time Christ died, rose, ascended, and now reigns; He made us a royal priesthood to proclaim His excellencies and do good works prepared beforehand (Jn. 19–20; Eph. 2:8–10; 1 Pet. 2:9).
Already/Not‑Yet: The New Covenant Kingdom is present and unshakeable (Heb. 12:28). The old order became obsolete and “vanished away” (Heb. 8:13)—sealed in history with the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70—so that the Church might go forth as the light of the world to disciple the nations (Mt. 5:14–16; 28:18–20). You live in that launched age; act accordingly.
Kingdom mission is therefore culture‑wide and worldwide. Local churches play a central, non‑negotiable role, but the Missio Dei extends through the whole Body of Christ into every vocation, office, and institution.
2) The Doorway Into Mission
Enter by faith alone in Christ alone. No amount of visible good works saves; only union with the crucified and risen Lord does (Jn. 3:16; Eph. 2:8–9).
Be joined to a faithful local church. Christ disciples His people through the means of grace and the keys of the Kingdom—Word, sacraments, prayer, discipleship, and discipline (Acts 2:42; Mt. 16:19; 18:18). Outside this discipling fellowship, men drift into either activism without holiness or privatized piety without mission.
Be equipped to maturity. Christ gives shepherd‑teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry so the Body builds itself up in love (Eph. 4:11–16). Your mission grows as you are formed by Scripture in the Church.
3) Office Before Options
“In My name” is not a magic phrase; it is office and authorization (Jn. 14:13–14). Before chasing options, identify your God‑given offices—places where you already carry delegated authority and duty under Christ’s law.
Son/brother: Honor parents, care for extended family, preserve family name and witness (Ex. 20:12; 1 Tim. 5:8).
Husband: Love your wife as Christ loved the Church; lead with sacrificial gentleness; keep covenant (Eph. 5:25–33; Col. 3:19).
Father: Raise children in the Lord’s discipline and instruction; set the pattern of truth and mercy at home (Eph. 6:4; Prov. 20:7).
Churchman: Submit to elders, practice the one‑anothers, use your gifts to edify the Body (Heb. 13:17; Rom. 12:4–8).
Worker/owner: Do all work heartily unto the Lord; create value, keep promises, pay justly, pursue excellence (Col. 3:23–24; Prov. 11:1).
Neighbor/citizen: Seek the welfare of your community, act justly, love mercy, walk humbly; honor lawful authority while resisting evil (Jer. 29:7; Mic. 6:8; Rom. 13:1–7; Acts 5:29).
The basic collision in life is theonomy vs. autonomy: will you exercise dominion according to God’s law of love or according to self‑rule? Your mission begins by embracing God’s rule in your present offices.
4) Map Your Field of Dominion
Write down your current spheres of influence and their real people. God calls you to good‑neighboring service—word and deed—for believer and unbeliever alike (Mt. 5:16; Gal. 6:10).
Home: Spouse, children, parents, siblings, roommates.
Work: Colleagues, clients, suppliers, competitors, apprentices.
Church: Members, elders, small group, those on the margins.
Civic life: School board, neighborhood, veterans, the poor, refugees, the unborn, the elderly.
For each sphere ask:
What does God’s Word require here? (Start with the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount.)
Who is most vulnerable or in need right now? What wrong needs confronting? What good needs building?
What resources has God placed in my hands to bless them?
5) Discern Your Gifts and Read Providence Wisely
Inventory: Skills, knowledge, experiences, assets, relationships, health, time.
Desires: What holy burdens will not leave you alone? Desire is not sovereign, but it can be a clue (Ps. 37:4).
Counsel: Ask your pastors, elders, wife, and mature friends for frank feedback (Prov. 11:14; 15:22).
Providence: What doors are opening? Where has past faithfulness already borne fruit? Be ready to be corrected; love truth more than your plans.
6) Write a Simple Kingdom Mission Rule
Craft a one‑page rule of life that translates conviction into cadence. Keep it concrete, accountable, and church‑connected.
Lordship anchors: Lord’s Day worship without compromise; daily Scripture and prayer; weekly table fellowship; tithing and almsgiving; Sabbath rest (Heb. 10:24–25; Acts 2:42; Isa. 58:13–14).
Offices prioritized: Name 1–3 commitments for each office (husband, father, worker, churchman, neighbor). Example: “Husband—pray with my wife nightly; date night biweekly; quarterly budget and hospitality plan.”
Projects: Choose one build project and one repair project per quarter. Build creates new good (e.g., train apprentices, start a neighborhood reading club). Repair confronts and heals wrongs (e.g., advocate for a coworker’s just treatment; serve post‑abortion counseling).
Metrics: Measure fruit biblically—growth in holiness (Gal. 5:22–23), edification of the Body (Eph. 4:16), justice and mercy enacted (Mic. 6:8), and faithful endurance under hardship (Jas. 1:2–4).
Accountability: Share the rule with your elders and a band of brothers; review monthly; adjust humbly.
7) Practice Cruciform Dominion
Exercising dominion is spiritual warfare; it must be cross‑shaped, not domineering (Eph. 6:10–18; Mt. 20:25–28).
Determine what is bound and loosed by the Word. Study, pray, seek counsel. What does Christ command in this situation? (Mt. 16:19; 18:18).
Publish and proclaim. Speak truth in love: clarify standards, set expectations, invite repentance and collaboration (Eph. 4:15).
Implement with humility and firmness. Take action appropriate to your office—mentor, organize, build, correct, protect. Be gentle and patient, yet resolute (2 Tim. 2:24–26).
Avoid two perversions: abdication (silence, passivity) and lording it over others (harsh control). Christ the Lion‑Lamb rules by self‑giving authority; so must you.
Three Snapshots
Young single professional:
Joins a healthy church, serves in youth catechesis, pursues excellence at work, starts a lunchtime Proverbs study, volunteers monthly at a local shelter, and builds a savings/hospitality fund to practice generous, planned almsgiving.
Mid‑career husband and father:
Establishes nightly family worship, apprentices two junior coworkers, advocates for honest weights and measures in pricing, joins other fathers to support a crisis‑pregnancy center, and helps the diaconate form a job‑readiness pipeline for men in need.
Seasoned tradesman:
Trains apprentices with explicit Christian craftsmanship standards, organizes a network to repair widows’ homes at cost, serves as a church deacon, and works with city inspectors to update codes that incentivize safety and affordability.
How You’ll Know You’re on Mission
You abide in Christ and bear fruit; pruning is real but so is increase (Jn. 15:1–8).
People are discipled: family, coworkers, neighbors grow in obedience to Jesus (Mt. 28:20).
The church is strengthened through your presence and service (Eph. 4:16).
Your work exhibits truth, beauty, justice, competence, and generosity (Mt. 5:16; Prov. 22:29).
You face resistance and suffering without bitterness; joy deepens (2 Tim. 3:12; 1 Pet. 4:12–16).
Pray Like a Man Under Orders and Act
Confess: “Lord Jesus, You are my King. Forgive my abdication and my pride.”
Ask: “Father, in Jesus’ name, grant me wisdom and courage to fulfill my offices today. Open doors no man can shut; close those I should not enter” (Jn. 14:13–14; Rev. 3:7–8).
Commit: “Here I am; send me. I will do the truth I already know while You teach me the next step” (Isa. 6:8; Jas. 1:22).
You are not an island. Man is a social being; woven physically, spiritually, and vocationally into families, congregations, workplaces, and nations. The Lord who redeemed you has placed you in those relationships on purpose. Abide in Christ, stay under the care of your local church, and exercise cruciform dominion in every office you hold.
This is your mission: to glorify God and love your neighbor by building and repairing the culture of everyday life so that the nations may see the light of Christ and come to Him (Mt. 5:14–16; Isa. 60:1–3).
The King is making all things new.
Join Him.