by Linzy Slayden
When the writer of the book of Ecclesiastes determined his purpose in life, he started by accumulating a vast sum of money, only to discover that it didn’t provide the meaning he had hoped for. Then he sought power, attained it, and discovered that it too failed to satisfy. Next came a scandalous pursuit of pleasure. Then fame and celebrity. Finally, at the end of all his efforts, he uttered his famous words: “Vanity, vanity, all is vanity.” Or as it could be translated, “All of this is like chasing the wind.”
We are not created to be wind chasers. We are created to be world changers! We are created to join God on a mission. Some people think of God as hanging around beyond the edges of the universe somewhere, listening to some of the great hymns of the faith or really good worship music. The Bible sees it much differently. It teaches that God is at work 24/7, all over our world, filling His followers with grace and mercy and power to impact this broken planet. Second Chronicles 16:9 tells us that the Lord is looking for someone He can work through in a powerful way.
It’s as if God has work gloves on. And He calls us to roll up our sleeves and join Him. He wants His mission to become ours. “If you’re into chasing the wind,” He tells us, “you can keep right on doing that. Or you can connect with Me, and together we’ll transform this hurting planet.”
Personally, I love being part of the greatest work in the world!
The desire to be a world-changer is planted in the heart of every Christian, and that desire comes directly from the heart of God. We can suffocate that desire in selfishness, silence it with the chatter of competing demands, or bypass on the fast track to personal achievement. But it’s still there. We tell our church members they have a choice to make. They can park in their usual spot in the church parking lot, make their way to a comfortable seat in a favorite row, watch a good service, chat with friends, and then go home. That choice makes for a nice, safe Sunday morning experience. Or they can throw themselves into an adventure by rolling up their sleeves, joining a team of like-minded servants, and helping build the local church God has called them to be a part of.
Pastors have a choice too — a choice to see the big picture; that of impacting our world by involvement in a fellowship of pastors and missionaries touching nearly every corner of the globe with the gospel of Jesus Christ. There is too much work to be done to be petty or selfish or shortsighted. The strong future of the BBFI lies in cooperating together in the great work of world evangelism.
Let’s partner with God and change our world!