How to Be Remembered Forever

Everyone has a mission. That means you have a mission, and maybe you've never thought of it that way before.  I want to share something deeply personal with you about what it means to be on mission, and why missions isn't just something that happens "over there."

When we hear the word "missions," many of us immediately disqualify ourselves. We think, "That's not me. I don't travel to other countries. I'm not called to go to a hut in the middle of nowhere." But that doesn't mean you're not called to be on mission. In fact, I believe every single one of us is already equipped and positioned to live missionally right where we are.

My Mission Story

I want to share a little bit of my personal history with you because it's directly connected to why I'm here at City of Life Church today. My parents founded a missions organization when I was very young, and we moved to Central Florida when I was seven years old. My dad became the missions pastor here, back when we were called Heartland Worship Center.here was no missions program at that time. He was brought in to help City of Life expand our global reach.

I grew up traveling around Central America. I got to see my dad preach on a small island in St. Eustatius, where we partnered with the local church to build a basketball court because students had nowhere safe to gather. I traveled to Honduras and worked with Dr. Gary Smith, whose ministry there has left a lasting legacy. My husband and I went to the Dominican Republic with Pastor Jeffrey and Amy when we began our church partnership with Compassion International in 2017. We still sponsor a boy named George Daly from that trip—he's twice the size now and a teenager!

My first mission trip was actually to Haiti. I have personal memories of delivering rice to broken-down shacks and bringing toys to orphanages for children who had been abandoned and had nothing. The privilege of shining the hope and light of Jesus in those ways has marked my life forever.

But here's what I want you to understand: whether you recognize it or not, you are directly connected to that mission as well, even if you've never left Central Florida.

You Are Already a Missionary

In Ephesians 4, we read about the fivefold gifts and callings: prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher, and apostle. Notice something? Missionary isn't one of them. That's because just as Jesus sent His twelve disciples, so He sends us. We are all called to be on mission wherever our feet are planted.

You don't have to step on foreign soil. You don't have to have a passport to be on mission for Jesus. Mission isn't about where you go, it's about being who God has called you to be wherever you are. It's about what you carry, not just where you travel.

Put your hand on your heart right now and say it with me: "I am a minister."

It's true. It's who you're called to be. You may not have been to Bible school. You may be confused by parts of the Bible. You may not have been following Jesus for very long. But you are a minister, and you have a mission field right where you are.

The Flow of Mission: Receiving and Giving

Let me take you to 2 Corinthians 9:7-15, where Paul writes: "You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves a person who gives cheerfully. And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. As the Scriptures say, 'They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.'"

This passage is often used when talking about financial giving, but I want to expand our understanding. This isn't just about money,it's about the stewardship of the individual ministry God has called you to.

Before we go further, I need to address a mindset many of us wrestle with: a lack mindset. We struggle with limitations. We try to conserve our energy, our time, our money, our resources because there's this underlying feeling that there's not enough. "I have to take care of myself first. I need to leave a legacy for my kids. I can't give because I don't feel stable enough."

This frantic, self-centered approach stops the flow of mission in our lives. If we're going to be on mission, we have to live with an abundance mindset, recognizing that our God owns it all, provides it all, and has access to it all. He can redeem, restore, and recreate anything He needs to in your life.

One Hand to Receive, One Hand to Give

My dad used to say something that stuck with me throughout my life. He'd demonstrate it physically: "You have one hand to receive and one hand to give. And as the blessings flow through, there's plenty left for you."

As I studied this passage in 2 Corinthians this week, I had a lightbulb moment—this is exactly what he was preaching! This beautiful picture of open hands, both receiving and giving.

From what I've observed, many of us operate with one fist closed. Some of us have a really open hand of giving.  We serve, overextend ourselves, sacrifice, show up early and stay late, and are generous. But if we have a closed hand to receiving, we're stopping the flow. If you have a hard time receiving a compliment, letting someone buy you lunch, or even focusing in church to connect with God because you're worried about what you need to do for others, you're blocking the blessing.

Eventually, if all you do is pour out, the well runs dry. You start giving out of obligation, bitterness, resentment, or anger. You feel overlooked because you've stopped up the flow with your lack of reception.

We have to learn how to receive in order to give. We give and God gives. It's a cycle.

On the flip side, some of us have a really open hand to receiving but a closed fist when it comes to giving. We're great at accepting blessings, taking opportunities, claiming what we think we deserve. But we don't feel stable enough to give or share. We hoard it because we don't feel secure, thinking "I'll let God take care of everything else."

This posture also stops the flow of mission. We cannot give what we have not received. And we cannot hoard what we've received without cutting ourselves off from God's continuous provision.

Living with open hands, both receiving and giving, requires vulnerability. There's a trust factor. You might give and wonder what's going to happen before God provides and pours in. But this is the flow we need to embrace if we want to be on mission.

I witnessed my dad live this out, not just financially but with his time and his words. People would stop him in the mall, in the church lobby, at the beach, even in different states: "Dr. Rob, can I chat with you for a minute?" That generosity wasn't just about finances, it was generosity with words, time, and talents.

Growing up as a pastor's kid and missionary kid, I'm grateful my father lived what he preached. He walked out the call of the gospel. Many people who have walked away from church or faith did so because they witnessed their parents or leaders operate one way on Sundays and a completely different way the other six days of the week.

If we've been holding back in any way—finances, relationally, our time, our treasure, our talent—maybe this is God's urging for you to step into more mindful stewardship of what He's given you. Show up and be who He's called you to be.

Three Mission Fields: Home, Backyard, World

Every year during Heart for the House, we share a reflection of the past twelve months within the framework of our home, our backyard, and our world. Today, I want to use that same framework to look at how each of us is individually on mission in these three areas.

Mission Field #1: At Home

Home is where the mission starts. It starts where you live. For some of us, that mission might be easier than others. For some of us, it might be harder. But within the walls of your home, whether you're married, have children, have roommates or siblings, or live alone, this is where your mission begins.

My husband says this all the time, and it's a McNeil core value: If it's not real at home, it's not real.

If I'm nice to the cashier or server in public but cruel or short-tempered with my family at home, my niceness is a facade. Who you are in the most private places is who you actually are. Who you are at home is your mission field, and it's incredibly important.

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 says, "These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."

God did not intend for His commands to be a Sunday thing. He has charged us with bringing it into the home. How often do your family members walk in and interrupt you studying the Bible or praying? This should be something regular, a normal part of our homes. Our kids shouldn't be shocked when we tell them to read their Bible.   (hey should see mom and dad reading the Bible every day.

Healthy mission flows from healthy devotion, not out of obligation or burnout, but out of abundance. Out of recognizing, "Wow, God, You have given me so much. I want to live my life for You everywhere, out of overflow."

Practically, how does this show up at home?

• Discipling our children (for those of us who are parents)
• Praying with our spouse (for those who are married)
• Praying as a family
• Modeling faith consistently (not perfectly, but consistently)
• Creating rhythms of generosity
• Practicing hospitality
• Having crucial conversations instead of sweeping things under the rug
• Practicing the fruit of the Spirit: kindness, patience, gentleness
• Seeking marital counseling or mentorship when needed

A relationship with God is not pass or fail. It's not school. It's not a checklist. You can model that to your children by praying, "God, I don't know what to say, but thank You for giving our family today. We love You and we're going to live for You today. In Jesus' name, amen."

What we repeat creates patterns in our minds and in the minds of our children. It's not about being perfect; it's about being consistent in impressing our children with the Word of God.

I'm the only one my son calls Mom. I'm the only one my husband calls Wife. I have a mission at home that's so important. Anyone could stand on a stage and preach Jesus. Anyone could speak Jesus to a cashier at a gas station. But I'm the only one who can fulfill my mission at home.

You cannot give what you do not live in your own home. Mission starts where you live—how you treat your spouse, how you speak to your kids, whether you're having crucial conversations or sweeping things under the rug.

Mission Field #2: Our Backyard

Our backyard is our community. In Acts 1:8, Jesus gave a commission to His followers: "You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem..." He starts with Jerusalem, which is our home turf, hometown, and where the disciples were known.  In other words,  their stomping grounds.

Our Jerusalem is our neighborhoods, our workplaces, our schools, our church family. Mission doesn't always look like a pulpit.  In fact, very rarely does it. Mission is wherever your feet are planted.

Mission in your neighborhood can look like:

• Sharing a meal with neighbors
• Getting coffee with a new neighbor just to get to know them
• Being consistent and kind at your kids' sports games
• Not cursing at games 
• Bringing snacks and being generous

One of our covenant leaders shared recently how their family simply lived Christian lives on display in their community. They weren't preaching—they were just being faithful. They invited one of their kids' teammates to Kids' Conf this summer, and the child came. That child had never been to church before, and the parents were open and trusting because of the relationship this family had built just by living a normal life in the community.

Sometimes the ways of being generous in our community feel too small or too subtle. Does it matter? We don't know what kindness, what consistency, what hope even in a five-minute conversation could do to change the life of a family in our community.

Practical ways to serve our community:

• Serve at church (parking, production, City Kids, and more)
• Serve at I Love My City events
• Feed the homeless
• Help at homes for adults who need assistance
• Lead a small group
• Be salt and light in your workplace and school
• Show up on time with integrity
• Speak with honor
• Follow through on commitments
• Pray for your coworkers and boss
• Build bridges with people who might not know Jesus
• Volunteer or donate to City of Life Christian Academy or Luminary Middle School

God planted you where you are for a reason. Sometimes we hate where we are. Sometimes we're waiting for the next season, thinking, "Lord, I know You have greater things for me." But you are where you are for a reason. Let God do His work through you right where you are, because your backyard is your mission field.

Mission Field #3: Our World

Mission is part of God's global story and His heart. Revelation 7:9 describes heaven: "A great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne."

One thing I love about being part of this church community is that we are multicultural and multigenerational. Standing alongside each other in worship always feels like a glimpse of heaven to me.

When my husband and I were in our senior year of college, we had the privilege of studying in Israel. One day at the garden tomb, our professor led us in communion. We had our acoustic guitar singing a modern worship song, but next to us was a group from Africa singing in their native tongue with drums. Behind us was a group from Asia singing in Mandarin with a stringed instrument. Taking communion in the garden tomb, surrounded by all the different tribes and tongues, it hit me: Jesus did it. He accomplished the mission to expand the covenant from just the Jewish people to all of us so that you and I could step in and be part of God's family.

Heaven is going to be full of people who don't look like us, don't sound like us, don't think like us. And I think that's the most beautiful thing.

When you travel (whether for fun or on a mission trip) your view is expanded. Life isn't just about your problems with your day job, your family situation, or your broken AC. Our vision expands: "Oh, there is so much going on in the world. The world does not revolve around me. God is doing something and longs to do something globally."

Practical ways to participate in world missions:

• Pray regularly for missionaries and mission trips (Your prayers are spiritual and break chains!)
• Pray for unreached people groups
• Pray for people to receive the gospel
• Give financially (like our Haiti campaign)
• Sponsor a child through Compassion International
• Go on a mission trip

World missions remind us that God's kingdom is so much bigger than our zip code and our problems. We can all be a part.

Your Mission This Week

Let me give you some practical reflection questions with this framework of home, backyard, and world:

HOME: Who in my home needs to see Jesus in me this week?

BACKYARD: What is one way I can intentionally bless a neighbor, coworker, or my church family this week?

WORLD: How can I pray, give, or plan to go to the nations?

When it comes to praying, choose one area to focus on this week. "Lord, give me a heart for this area. Let me see with eyes the way You see this situation, this person, this circumstance."

When it comes to giving, consider giving to our missions effort for Haiti. It's a lasting impact that will change generations by combating poverty and planting a church where people are isolated and don't have access to the Word of God.

You Have Everything You Need

Being on mission isn't about being an extraordinary person. In fact, part of our church mission statement is "empowering ordinary people." I'm ordinary—just a brunette with a really good Spanish accent! Yet we are all empowered through Jesus to be on mission.

You don't have to have all the answers. You don't have to have a degree. You don't have to have a lot of experience. You have Jesus, which means you have everything you need.

At the end of the day, you have one hand to receive, one hand to give. And as the blessings flow through, there's plenty left for you. When we share freely, this is how we are remembered forever. It's a promise from Psalm 112:9—God uses our obedience to impact others and draw all people to Himself.

You're already on mission. Jesus has already equipped you with everything you need. The question is: will you walk it out this week in your home, your backyard, and your world?