When you hear the phrase, “Embrace your mission,” what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Do you think about serving God in a far away place? Do you see pictures of a distant jungle or an image of serving the poor? Or do you think about your neighborhood, your friends, your family, and your coworkers? As we continue to highlight the pillars of the Everyday Faith Podcast, we’re excited to talk about our second pillar of Embrace Your Mission.
Embracing Your Mission
Pillar #2 of the Everyday Faith Podcast
Belief is the first and primary pillar of everything we do at the Everyday Faith Podcast. Everything Start with Belief. Next, you embrace your mission, which we’ll talk about today! After you embrace your mission, you Commit to Obedience, and Pursue Community with other Christians who are learning to become more like Jesus every day. This is our recipe for how you can live out your faith!
Our guest this week on the Everyday Faith Podcast is David Benham, a professional baseball player, speaker, author, father and entrepreneur who is also the personal mentor of our founder, Dan Smith. Through stories, Bible scriptures on missions, and testimonies, you will hear just how powerful it is to embrace your mission every day.
Finding God in Athletics
Before meeting Jesus, David’s father was an alcoholic who owned a saloon. After discovering the love of God, David’s dad was radically saved. His father sold the saloon, went to seminary, and was asked to plant a church in Dallas, Texas.
As an athletic family, one day David was playing basketball with his father and his brother, James. His father asked them, “Do you boys want to give your hearts to Christ?” The two said, “yes,” and they both prayed to receive Jesus into their hearts that evening.
Years later, David understood that he had been saved, but he recognized he didn’t have a lot of spiritual activity in his life. At the age of 12, he went to a youth camp and experienced the tangible conviction of the Holy Spirit for the first time. When he arrived home to tell his dad about his encounter with God, his father told him:
“Now it’s your responsibility to put Jesus in your head,” This charge to read the Bible and get the word of God into his life shifted David’s perspective and he did just that. Through spiritual disciplines and genuine faith, David began to grow as a disciple of Jesus. Following the wise words of his dad, he lived by the principle that when Jesus Christ is in your heart, you’re on mission wherever you go.
Embracing Missions in Sports
As a young boy, David played sports all the time. His father could tell that David and his brother had strong athletic ability. His father encouraged the boys to be on mission in their sports teams. David recognized that he was called to be a missionary to the athletic world. One habit that David learned from his dad was to encourage someone on the opposing team and share the love of Jesus with them. Countless people have heard the good news of Jesus Christ because of David’s commitment to embracing his mission in sports.
After high school, David was drafted to the New York Mets but decided to play baseball instead at Liberty University. Though seasons of life change, the mission stays the same. At Liberty, David stayed a faithful witness after every single baseball game, evangelizing and spreading the gospel with the opposing team. David and his brother saw so many salvations on the baseball field because of this practice. The real-life advancement of the kingdom created a hunger in their hearts to live on mission for the rest of their lives.
Stories of Embracing Mission
David shared a story with us of a nail-biting baseball game where he shared his faith…and also managed to propose to his girlfriend too! In the middle of the game, the home plate umpire ran into the field, waving his arms, screaming “foul ball!” The stadium was in uproar and the players began storming the field. However, the only thing on David’s mind was making sure that he could propose to his girlfriend after the game.
During the next play, the pitcher threw that ball and Jason, David’s brother, managed to hit a home run. The team won the game the very next pitch. At home base, David remained faithful and shared his faith with a player at home plate. He quickly ran to the locker room to go shower, get his suit on, and get ready to propose.
Right before David ran out of the clubhouse, Jason came running in to let him know that the third baseman prayed to receive Christ at home plate. Being faithful with the little things bears much fruit. To top things off, David was able to propose to his girlfriend and is grateful to have a storybook love story with his wife, Lori.
Tips for Embracing Your Mission
In David’s eyes, embracing your mission starts with some simple questions: Who has God made me to be? How can I steward the talents and abilities I have in my life? How do I steward the relationships that God has placed in my life? How can I steward my finances well for the kingdom of God? Embracing your mission starts with stewardship of what God has already given to you. Some practical ways to embrace your mission are to:
1. Start a Bible Study: Who in your life is already hungry and curious about the Bible? David has started Bible studies on just about every professional baseball team he’s ever played for. He’s seen fruit from the simple act of having his Bible in the locker room. He still receives testimonies from players years later, all because David embraced his mission and started Bible studies often.
2. Live the Principles of The Bible: Whether it’s baseball, marriage, or real estate: David applies the principles of the Bible to his life and sees God open doors because of this. Generosity, humility, patience, and steadfast love are principles from the Bible that touch the lives of those around us. In a world that is greedy, proud, and often mean, being someone who is kind without an ulterior motive is a simple way to embrace your mission.
3. Don’t Build a Mission On Your Own, Embrace The Mission God Has on Your Life: This point is key when you’re learning to embrace your mission! For example, if you’re an artist, it’s probably not wise to drop everything to reach the athletic field. If you’re a creative, embrace the mission God has on your life and see how God will use your gifts right where you are!
4. Fight For Alone Time with The Lord: Throughout the Bible, we see that Jesus withdrew from the crowds to be alone with His Father. When you get alone with God and allow yourself to experience the quiet moments with Him, you can receive His love and find out more ways to embrace your mission. Even if you’re just sitting alone in the car for 5 minutes, you can ask God questions like “What is your calling on my life?” or “How am I uniquely created to advance your kingdom?”
5. Find Your “Sweet Spot” When it Comes To Missions: David defines the ‘sweet spot’ as the intersection of your passion (what you’re excited about) and your proficiency (what you’re good at). As you're en route to your ‘sweet spot’ where your proficiency and passion from God intersect, you can still live every day of your life on mission through contentment and obedience.
Bible Verses About Missions & Embracing Your Mission
Ever wonder what the Bible has to say about embracing your mission? Thankfully, there are plenty of Bible verses about missions and scriptures about being a missionary. Wherever you are, you can live out the calling that Jesus gave you. If you were looking for permission, permission granted to live out the call of God on your life! Let's read some Bible verses about missions that remind us we're all called to share the good news, no matter our job or background.
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 28:19-20
This Bible verse about missions is a direct quote from Jesus himself. He commanded His disciples to be disciples that make more disciples, teaching them to obey the Bible and live like Jesus.
Hear from our friend Gabe Craig who lives his life on mission every day: Addict to Evangelist: How a Near Death Experience Changes Everything
He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” - Mark 16:15
This Bible verse about missions is also a direct quote from Jesus Christ. As Christians, no matter what our career is, we’re called to be missionaries who share the Gospel with those around us. Bible scriptures about being a missionary don’t make distinctions about what job to have as a disciple who shares the Gospel. Paul was a tent maker, Peter was a fisherman, and Jesus was even a carpenter! You can embrace your mission today no matter what sphere of society you work in.
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” - Acts 1:8
Bible verses about missionaries and Bible scriptures about missions are found throughout the book of Acts. When Jesus rose from the dead, God sent His Holy Spirit to be with everyone who believes in Jesus!
Learn more about the power of the Holy Spirit: Learning to Walk With the Holy Spirit
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? - Romans 10:13-14
This convicting Bible verse about missions is the fuel we need to embrace our mission and become unafraid to share our faith! Sometimes it helps to remember that the Gospel is good news, not just ordinary news. The Gospel is not just a get-out-of-jail-free card, it has the power to save, heal, deliver, and change lives completely. Next time you’re feeling afraid to share your faith, remember this Bible verse on missions from Romans 10!
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. - Matthew 24:14
Matthew 24 is an intense chapter of scripture that is full of Bible verses about missions and Bible scriptures about being a missionary. Because we are getting closer and closer to the return of Jesus, we should be more eager to share our faith with others and choose to embrace our mission every day.
Conclusion
We are so grateful to David for sharing his wild and faithful journey of embracing his mission. It's clear that embracing your mission isn't always about being a missionary in a foreign country, but more often that not, it's about faithfully living out your calling and sharing your faith right where you are.
Whether it's on the baseball field, in the boardroom, or within the walls of your own home, God has placed you strategically, for such a time as this, to live your life on mission for His kingdom.
Remember, you're not alone in this mission. Our team at the Everyday Faith Podcast has blogs and podcast episodes to keep you encouraged and help you grow in your faith. As you step out to embrace your mission, you'll discover a wild joy and fulfillment that comes from living a life fully surrendered to God's plan. So, this week, embrace your mission, and watch as God works wonders through your everyday faith. We're so excited to see how God will move through you!
Further Reading:
How to Live a Life of Availability to God
How to Cultivate a Lifestyle of Evangelism
How to Find Peace in Stressful Situations
