Mission is a Great Way of Life – Dr Michael Burke

Only in the hands of the sending God can it truly be called a mission.

5 MINUTE READ

From Luke’s Journal February 2024 | Vol.29 No.1 | Missions and Sacrificial Service

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Mission is a great way of life.

Of course we have the Great Commission (mission with the great I AM):

“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, baptising 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 28:18-20 (NIV)

Mission is best seen as being derived from the very nature of God. Mission is located in the doctrine of the Trinity. The classical doctrine of the missio Dei is God the Father sending the Son, and God the Father and the Son sending the Spirit is expanded to the Holy Spirit sending God’s people into the world.

Our mission has no life of its own, for only in the hands of the sending God can it truly be called a mission.

Medical missions, along with dental and other healthcare work, have a long and remarkable history. There is much to celebrate.

Christopher Wright reminds us of the five themes of modern mission: evangelism, discipleship, compassion, justice and creation care¹:

“The mission of the church is the mission of Christ:

To proclaim the good news of the Kingdom (evangelism)
To teach, baptise and nurture new believers (discipleship)
To respond to human need by loving service (compassion)
To seek to transform unjust structures of society (justice)
To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and to sustain the life of the earth (creation care).”

Each of these five dimensions of mission depend on the lordship of Christ:

In evangelism, we proclaim the good news that Jesus Christ is Lord, King and Saviour.
In discipleship, we bring people into maturity of faith and discipleship, in submission to Christ as Lord.
In compassion, we follow the example of the Lord Jesus, who ‘went about doing good’.
In seeking justice, we remember that the Lord Jesus Christ is the judge of all the earth.
In using and caring for creation, we are handling what belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ by right of creation and redemption.

Medical mission, and more broadly healthcare work mission, engages in all five of these dimensions.

There are many opportunities to serve God in all settings, whether in Australia or elsewhere.

Each patient and colleague, though at times not immediately obvious, is essentially made in the image of God. How do we respond to these creations of the great Creator? Our mission is to respond with wonder, with respect, with empathy and with a willingness to protect in times of vulnerability.

“How do we respond to these creations of the great Creator? Our mission is to respond with wonder, with respect, with empathy and with a willingness to protect in times of vulnerability.”

I want to share some examples of current opportunities. These may be in various forms, and yet each is called to be part of God’s mission. This work may be in places familiar or in distant places that are less familiar. Our lives often have many seasons which may take us to different places.

Your place of work may be the beautiful and challenging country of Australia. For others, there will be opportunities to work away from Australia. You may choose to work full-time in an overseas setting, work part-time, or you may support others in this work. CMDFA was established to support people in each of these settings. Let me share some examples.

I am returning to Tanzania to assist my university hospital in northern Tanzania to establish a Masters of Medicine in Family Medicine. Family Medicine (known as general practice in Australia) equips doctors to work better in communities where diseases become more chronic and also more likely to be non-communicable. There is greater emphasis on prevention and promotion together with cure and care. Family Medicine seeks to understand how the clinical challenges impact on the individual within the context of community and worldview.

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Our friends at HealthServe Australia run a program called Partnerships in International Medical Education (PRIME). This is an example of short-term relationship-oriented medical training in countries in East Asia including Indonesia. Visit https://www.healthserve.org.au/ for more information.

There are also ways to support the International Christian Medical and Dental Association (ICMDA)’s International Post Graduate Diploma in Family Medicine (I-PGDFM). This is a program run jointly by ICMDA, Christian Medical College Vellore, and Loma Linda University. Like the PRIME program, you may engage as a tutor or you may wish to offer financial support to overseas trainees.

For more information, visit https://www.healthserve.org.au/programs/programs-of-health-serve-australia/252-icmda-post-graduate-diplomas