The work of advancing God's kingdom is not just for those called into full time ministry. For this task, God has enlisted the help of everyone who believes and follows Jesus Christ in their life. Charles Call, who accompanied me on my recent trip to Zimbabwe, firmly believes this truth and shared it with the Life to Life Africa team.
Charles shared the 3 Great Cs with our team: the Great Calling, the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. Jesus called ordinary fishermen to follow him, and said that as they did that he would make them "fishers of men" (Matthew 4:19). As they followed him, he modeled fishing for men and taught them the great commandment, which directs us to love God with all our heart and to love others as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40). After his resurrection, the last instruction of Jesus to his followers was the great commission, where he sends them out to "make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19-20).
Was this calling, commandment and commission just for those who followed Jesus, then? We see that Jesus prayed for "those who will believe in me through their message" (John 17:20). This calling, commandment and commission is for all of us who believe in Jesus. While the majority of Christ's followers did not go into "full time" ministry, they nevertheless acted upon the calling, commandment and commission they received. They certainly had a "full" impact along with those in "full time" ministry, as evidenced in Acts (2:41,47; 5:14; 6:1,7; 9:31,35,42; 11:21,24: 14:1,21; 16:5; 17:12). Likely, all of us can identify ordinary followers of Jesus who pointed us to him and had a significant impact in our lives.
It was good to have Charles remind us of this and encourage the LTLA team to equip everyone we disciple to labor for Christ because we are all called, commanded and commissioned to serve the Lord. Charles also encouraged us to love our spouses and children, for they should be of first priority. It is evident that he has done that in his life, as he drew from personal stories related to his family. From his agricultural career, he also had good counsel for us in farming efforts. I was blessed to have Charles travel with me and the team was blessed by the interactions with him.
Thank you for your prayers for our trip! Below you will find photos of activities in which we engaged while in Zimbabwe.
