Week of Prayer (part 3)

As we continue reflecting on mission, it is helpful to consider not only what we are called to do, but also what we are called to say. Mission and message are inseparable. One without the other may look productive, but it will never be complete.

In recent years, conversations about faith have changed. Where once people debated doctrine, today many are asking more fundamental questions: Does God exist? Can the Bible be trusted? One of the well-known scientific arguments pointing toward a Creator is sometimes called the “fine-tuned universe” or “knife-edge” argument. Physicist Paul Davies once observed that it is not just life on earth, but the entire universe that appears balanced on a knife edge—so precisely calibrated that even the smallest change in fundamental forces would make life impossible.

Stephen Hawking made a similar observation:

“The remarkable fact is that the values of these numbers seem to have been very finely adjusted to make possible the development of life.” A Brief History of Time, Bantam Books. p. 125. (1988).

Balance matters—not only in physics, but in faith.

Scripture gives us a powerful illustration of what happens when mission moves forward without a clear message. In 2 Samuel 18, David waits anxiously for news from the battlefield where Absalom’s rebellion has been crushed. Two runners are sent. Ahimaaz runs faster and arrives first, but when the king asks what to him is the most important question—“Is the young man Absalom safe?”—he cannot bring himself to speak plainly. He offers activity without clarity. The Cushite arrives later, but he delivers the message truthfully and compassionately.

Both runners ran the same race. Only one completed the mission.

Mission without message is movement without meaning. It may look successful, but it leaves people without the truth they most need to hear.

The same danger exists for us. It is possible to be busy, active, and passionate—and still unclear. Appeals can be emotional. Programs can be impressive. Reports can look strong. Yet if the message is uncertain, the mission is ultimately weakened.

So what is our message for this time?

Throughout Scripture, there have been moments when God entrusted His people with a message meant for the whole world. Noah proclaimed repentance and preparation for the coming flood. The apostles preached repentance and faith in the risen Messiah. During the Great Awakening, the message centered on Christ’s soon return and the call to be ready to meet Him.

Each message did not replace the one before it—it built upon it.

For God’s people today, Scripture identifies that message clearly:

“Here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12).

This is the heart of the three angels’ messages—faith and obedience held together, grace and truth inseparably joined.

Ellen White writes:

“The third angel’s message, embracing the messages of the first and second angels, is the message for this time” (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 8, p. 197).

She also explains that this message has not only shaped preaching, but has given rise to the entire Adventist movement and its institutions:

“The influence of these messages has been deepening and widening, setting in motion the springs of action in thousands of hearts, and bringing into existence institutions of learning, publishing houses, and health institution. All are instrumentalities of God to cooperate in the grand work represented by the first, second, and third angels…” (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, p. 18).

Our schools, churches, health ministries, and publications exist because of the message—and they exist for the message.

But here is where balance becomes critical.

Without mission, message becomes debate.
Without message, mission becomes futility.
Without both, the church loses direction.

Message drives mission because without message there is no mission.

The devil has always sought to create imbalance—pushing God’s people toward extremes that weaken their witness. But Christ calls us to live and serve on that narrow path where faith and obedience, truth and compassion, message and mission move forward together.

Let us remember that every department and every facet of our work is called to give the message for this time. In whatever capacity we serve, our task remains the same: to bring people not only to Jesus, but to the full saving truth He has entrusted to His church for this time—the Three Angels Messages.

May God grant us the wisdom to keep that balance, the courage to speak clearly, and the compassion to serve faithfully—until the mission is finished and the message for this time has reached circled the globe and Jesus has come!.

Cody Francis is currently serving as the Ministerial and Evangelism director for the Michigan Conference. It is his joy to serve and help support pastors in their mission of taking the everlasting gospel to their communities. He is a graduate of the Andrews Theological Seminary where he received his Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry (MAPM). In 2017, he accepted a call to pastor in Michigan serving in northern Michigan as pastor and later as a district superintendent. Prior to serving in Michigan, he served as Academic Dean of Hartland College in Rapidan, Virginia and a church planter in the Seattle-metro area. Cody and his wife Mandy are blessed with three daughters (Karise, Serena, Hosanna). In their free time they enjoy many outdoor activities including camping, hiking, backpacking, and biking.