When you think about Christmas, where does your mind go? Do you think about cozy family gatherings? Perhaps you think about the lights, the carols, and everything that makes Christmas so magical. It could be that you think about church events and candlelight services. Or maybe you meditate on an infant in a manger who would eventually save humanity from their sins.
But have you ever stopped to think about Christmas as the beginning of a missionary journey or the connection between that baby and the Great Commission?
Unto us a child is born
Jesus spoke one of the most well-known Bible verses in talking to a Pharisee named Nicodemus: “ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16, New International Version).
God’s love for the world motivated Him to send Jesus. And while Jesus’ death on the cross would cancel our debt and His resurrection would promise us new life, He would spend most of his life as a missionary, training missionaries. Jesus’ whole life was a mission that God had orchestrated since the very beginning.
He traveled the farthest distance imaginable to live among humanity and taught us what God was really like. He not only told us that loving God meant loving others, but He also demonstrated it in His compassion and service to others.
For about three and a half years, Jesus trained his disciples. He taught them about true faith and the gospel, sending them out on missionary excursions of their own. The whole time He was among them, He prepared them for a time when they would become the missionaries to the rest of the world.
Unto us a Son is given
This infant of Mary and Joseph’s, the one visited by shepherds and Magi, came on a mission. He came to set us free. But He also came to send us on a mission too. Before He ascended into heaven, Matthew tells us:
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:16-20).
As you gather with loved ones this Christmas, remember Jesus’ mission. God’s love for the world put that child in that manger—and that same love commands us to carry His story into the whole world. For those who have chosen to follow Jesus, there is no way to separate the incarnation from the Great Commission.
Join us in helping to fulfill the Great Commission
Jesus Film Project® and our partners are working hard at creating and translating Jesus-centered films and digital tools to reach the parts of the world without access to Jesus’ message. We’re so grateful for all of you who walk alongside us in prayer that God will continue opening doors for new partnerships and ministry opportunities.
There are numerous ways you can pray with us, become a partner and support us as we ensure that everyone, everywhere, has an opportunity to hear about Jesus!
