The Moravian movement started with the passion for Christ and a healthy perspective of Jesus not only as the suffering Savior, but also the King that sits enthroned. Their perspective of Christ spurred the Moravian movement where they had courage in the face of danger and tenacity of purpose. They exemplified William Carey's "Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God."
I think for the church as a whole, we are lacking the passion for Christ. Just like John Piper said in his book Let the Nations be Glad, missions begins and ends in worship. "Missionaries will never call out, "Let the nations be glad!" who cannot say from the heart, "I rejoice in the Lord… I will be glad and exult in thee, I will sing praise to thy name, O Most High"(Ps 104:34; 9:2). If we, as the church, had this passion for Christ, then it would be evident in our obedience in going. Jesus said that if you love me, you will obey my commands. If we truly have the passion and love for Jesus as Savior and King, then we will go. Statistically, only 2% (or close to it) of the church's time and offering are given in response to the Great Commission. As our passion for Jesus increases so will our passion for telling the world increase, and that will be reflected in how we spend our time and our money.
This topic has been coming up as I have been studying mission and church history and I think it applies a lot to my life. I pray that Jesus give me a healthy perspective of who He is that spurs me to action.
