Mission Without Sacrifice is like Christianity without the Cross

That title is a quote that David Platt posted recently on Twitter.  I know I have been absent for awhile now and to come back with that is tough.  My life has been busy, the reality is that is no excuse.  What really happened is that this got de-prioritized in my list of things that need to be done on a regular basis.  I was going through my stuff today and realized just how long it has been.  In addition there have been on average of 50 hits to this page a day and over 20k since it started.  That makes me feel a sense of urgency to update it more often.  So I have a co author now who will help keep me accountable.  And I would like to post up shows as well.

Beyond all that I have been reflecting deeply on a few items.  The first of which is that quote from David Platt.  If you do not know who he is then you need to buy his book asap.  One of the best resources out there for Christians, especially if you are complacent.  It seems like in our efforts to include God in all that we do in our lives that we have in fact minimized what it means to be on "mission" for God.  Even though in a general sense we are all missionaries for God... called to bring his truth and to demonstrate it in our actions.... there is something more to be said for those who are not only purposeful, but sacrificial in their mission efforts.  This all follows along with the show series I have been doing on TV20 regarding the "Hierarchy of Serving".  The level at which an individual can give for and to God in their life is meaningful.  It does not change the state of their salvation, but one is a demonstration of it and the other is merely a walkabout.

A close person to me uses the analogy all the time, of someone who is called to be a missionary to the rich atheists of California. So they raise funds to know all about the culture of California, Atheism and then they move there to a "lesser" home.  They spend days during their week updating websites, evangelizing, even going to atheistic conferences.  Can they really be compared at the same level as someone who is running an Orphanage in Haiti?  They have an In-and-Out Burger on every corner in California.  What did they really sacrifice?  I am not saying what they are doing is wrong, I just do not believe it is in the same level of classification, and therefore does it deserve the same amount of attention, time and money as an individual who is fighting to keep children alive in Africa without water?

I would love to hear your feedback on this topic what gauge should we use for serving as a whole?  What constitutes Biblical serving vs. serving in the way I feel is best?  Do we as Christians forsake "feelings" in regards to truth (which we should), and yet use "feelings" to guide our hand in serving?