It's About the Assignment

The assignment...that thought has been pressing into my mind for a long time. I am more convinced than ever that this simple concept lies at the heart of what God is doing among His people and what He is willing to do in America.

A God-assignment certainly has to do with finding and following God's will. But, it is a much more specific concept than the broad terms usually associated with following God's plan.

Think of it this way. A football player...a team member, passionate about the game, in uniform, attentive to the game, and willing to contribute meaningfully to a victory would compare to a committed follower of Christ desiring to do the will of God.

But, the point of the game is to act in such a way as to advance the ball toward victory, not simply to prepare for action or talk about action. A plan of action...a play...must be called by the coach in order to bring effective order to the team on the field.

An assignment comes to that player when a play is called. Each member of the team has a very specific and unique action assignment according to position. Each assignment, effectively conducted in concert with the others, yields advancement in the game. Some of those assignments gain the attention of the observing crowd; some are rarely noticed. But, each is critical to the plan and to the objective.

So it is with an assignment from God. It is a specific tactical manifestation of God's custom designed plan for an individual believer designed to advance the influence of Christ in a defined space and time.

Here are some characteristics of a God-assignment.

· It will always be consistent with the nature, mission, and ethic of Christ as revealed in Scripture. The Bible is the standard for understanding God. Any God-assignment will be consistent with biblical teaching, but it may not be "churchy" in nature.

· It will seem impossible. The assignment will be unattainable apart from dependence upon God. It will require a believer's investment of faith in greater measure than his or her pre-assignment status.

· It will influence a person or persons with the nature and ethic of Christ directly and indirectly and by unlimited ways and means.

· It will tactical. A believer under assignment will be focused upon his or her assigned point of engagement in identifiable space and in measurable time.

· It will be strategic. The assignment will always be part of a broad action by God to expand the Kingdom of Christ among people.

· It will be unlimited. Assignments are not tied to church programs or endorsement by a professional minister or priest. Assignments are made to believers...real people in real world experiences through every imaginable vocational endeavor or relational engagement.

Now imagine the potential effect upon a family, an organization, a community, a school system, a region, a government, or a nation as committed followers of Christ receive and carry out such assignments from God. It is how a nation may be transformed...even a nation bent on separating itself from the things of God.