“My aim is to preach the gospel where Christ has not been named, so that I will not build on someone else’s foundation, but, as it is written, ‘Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand.’” (CSB – Read the chapter)

The last thing Jesus said before returning to the Father’s right hand was to commission His followers to proclaim the Gospel. This call wasn’t something that was only for those special few who were called to be missionaries, though, it was for all of His followers. All of us are to be involved in proclaiming the good news and making disciples. That this is happening should be a given. How it happens, however, is a much more open question. Paul here talks about how He was called to that. Let’s talk about how we might be.

The Southern Baptist Convention has six seminaries that form the centerpiece of its pastoral training arm. They’re all named geographically. Southern is in Louisville, KY, Midwestern is in Kansas City, MO, Southwestern is in Fort Worth, TX, Gateway (formerly Golden Gate) is in San Francisco, CA, and New Orleans is right where you would expect it to be, and Southeastern is in Wake Forest, NC.

Each seminary has its own flavor and style. They have different cultures and institutional passions. For instance, the seminary closest to me and where many pastors in my area went is passionate about missions. The others all care about missions, but not like Southeastern does. Their motto as a school is comprised of a single word: Go. They talk about the Great Commission as naturally as breathing.

This is a good thing because those final marching orders from Jesus (which appear in one form or fashion in all four Gospels as well as the book of Acts) are incredibly significant. After the command to love like He did, they collectively form what is arguably His second most important command to His followers. To put that another way, they collectively form what is arguably the most important way for us to live in obedience to His first command. Indeed, what better way is there to love another person like Jesus than to share about His love with them so they can go to Him to experience it first hand?

I am fully convinced that the idea that believers ought to live our lives on mission, that is, always in a mindset of looking for how we can expand the kingdom of God by sharing the Gospel through one application or another of the love of Christ is a deeply biblical one. After all, the Holy Spirit directed Peter to tell us to always be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks us for a reason for the hope that we have (with gentleness and respect).

Where I start to quibble a bit with some folks here is that in pushing this idea that believers are to be going as hard as they do, they sometimes get so excited about it that they forget that not all believers are called to go in the same way. The same mindset permeates the North Carolina State Baptist Convention. And again, celebrating and encouraging missions is not a bad thing. But while some people are unquestioningly called to go far away from their physical home to participate in the advancement of their heavenly home, some are not.

Personally speaking, I am not. I have never been outside of the United States on a missions trip of any kind. I have never felt called to go outside the United States on a missions trip. I fully support others who are and who have been, but I’m not. My personal call is here. It is to lead a local church; to strengthen that group of believers to advance the Gospel by practicing the love of Jesus toward their own community. There’s nothing particularly glamorous about this work. It doesn’t always seem very exciting. But it is good work. And from the standpoint of the advancement of the kingdom of God it is necessary and important work.

My call is to help people learn to love the church. I want for kids and youth to learn to love the church by making sure they have a profoundly positive experience with it like I did. I want for adults who have learned to hate the church or at best to tolerate it to become re-enchanted with it as they experience Gospel community as it was designed and intended to be.

I am well aware that not everyone’s call is the same as mine. But I would also argue that more people are called to this kind of advancing God’s kingdom at home work than who are called to advance it by going somewhere else. And perhaps it could just be chalked up to jealousy, but I honestly get tired of seeing the institutional culture of a denomination focus so heavily in on direction that they forget about the majority of folks who aren’t called to advance the Gospel in that way.

Paul here talks about his own call to advance the Gospel. And, at a glance, it would seem to resonate with what the folks say who insist we should go somewhere else to proclaim the good news. “My aim is to preach the gospel where Christ has not been named, so that I will not build on someone else’s foundation.” And Paul did that. He traveled extensively. He faithfully did the work God called and directed him (Acts 13:1-3) to do.

But in 1 Corinthians 3, Paul reminds the believers who were attaching themselves to one well-known teacher or another and dividing themselves into competing camps because of these associations that God calls different people to do different parts of the work of advancing His kingdom. All of this work, different as it may be, is ultimately done by God, and is all important to the overall goal of advancing His kingdom.

All are called by Jesus to proclaim the Gospel as they are going. Some are called to go far and wide to do that Some are called to go right across the street, doing work in their own community. Both calls are good and necessary and worth celebrating. Advancing the Gospel in all places and to all people means truly doing it in all places, even if those places aren’t very far from home at all. Wherever you are called – and listen to the Spirit’s voice carefully for where that is – go and proclaim the Gospel there. Do it faithfully and well and in obedience to your Lord’s command.