Mission of Hope
Terry Derstine is a husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He is the founder and chairman of Sweatshirt of Hope in Souderton, PA, with a heart for those struggling in life. In the Acknowledgment section of his book Helpless and Hopeless, he says:
“I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ most of all for the scriptures that spoke to me in special moments and were given in His timing. Praising God through Christian radio, hymns, and worship songs carried me through many challenging days. God’s hand was evident time and time again as we traveled this road of life.”
Terry, no doubt, is a blessed man, has faced his share of heartbreak. Yet, he has hope, and he gives it away generously, without fear of running out, because he knows Jesus.
Isaiah 61:1-2a says:
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.
Jesus reads from the scroll of Isaiah and quotes this verse specifically in Luke 4:18-19. In this passage, we see all three persons of God—Father, Son, and Spirit—acknowledged. Through this, a message of hope emerges—a message of good things for the oppressed. This is what Jesus does. Following Jesus changes everything.
While oppression can exist in many forms, there is one form that has affected all of mankind: our sinful nature. Because we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), we are each less than perfect. Jesus came, lived, taught, died, and rose again so we could be free from sin. In that truth lies our hope.
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ name.
—“Solid Rock,” Edward Mote, 1834
This past September, a group from our church attended Hopefest 24. Over 10,000 people turned out to enjoy fun, food, live music, speakers, and community resources. The message of Christ was declared, and the message of hope was received. Lives were changed because of God working on mission through His people.
The Disciples Study Bible explains that Isaiah 61 may have originally applied to the prophet and/or the remnant nation of Israel. Jesus applied it to Himself and declared its fulfillment in Him. When we understand this fulfillment in Christ and apply it to those who follow Him, the prophetic call becomes an important description of the nature of God’s people on mission, no matter what age we live in:
- Missions is a divine activity of the Sovereign God.
- The Spirit of God calls persons to the task.
- The Spirit of God anoints or selects.
- The nature of missions includes preaching the good news to the poor.
- Missions go beyond proclamation and extend to deeds of love.
- The gospel brings freedom from fear, sin, vice, superstition, and oppressive conditions.
Missions is God’s work through His anointed people to meet the spiritual and physical needs of others.
Brothers and sisters, to be on mission is to bring hope.
Chad Strausbaugh