Ok, this is NOT a rant, Smulo ;)
What is "missional living"? Sometimes in an attempt to gain a better understanding of what something is, it's best to look at what it's not.
Missional Living is NOT:
- About you. Living Missionally means you aren't self focused on your own needs as much as you are on the needs of those around you; namely those who may not be Christ-followers.
- About a Denomination. Does it really matter what "church" we attend? I don't think so. Denominations can never nurture a relationship with anyone only people can do that.
- A Standardized System. It is alive and as such it seeks to bring a fresh awakening to those brave enough to live missionally. Not just talk missionally.
- Rebellion. It is not rebellion toward a movement that worked so well for so long but it is a realization that cultural shifts are taking place and the church and those who comprise her must shift with it or run the risk of losing connectivity within said culture.
- The Answer. But lends to it. Missional Living is a catalyst in helping us consider what it means to live out our faith in this world.
- For Everyone. Quite frankly, some folks don't have to wear the button pin of "Missional" to feel like their doing something great for God. They're actively engaged in living out their faith and never even heard the world "Missional".
Again, this is not a rant, just my thoughts as I surf from blog to blog about missional living. I see a great deal of ideas floating around in here but I only see very few actually demonstrating that they are living missionally in their real lives. We post about the church we would love to see and the work in our communities we would love to do but I don't see many coming back to their blogs saying...HEY!! Here's what I did to demonstrate missional living today!!
I want to issue a Global Missional Challenge otherwise known as the GMC :) If you do something to demonstrate what it means to live missionally, share it with us. Tell us about your reaching out to someone. Tell us how you shared Jesus today. Share with us how you followed Jesus today. Tell us about your "missional living". Not just your apparent dissatisfaction with it all. I know, I know, I know....there is a place for expressing dissatisfaction and all that good stuff. Frustration needs to be vented and released or it will kill us. Literally perhaps ;)
11 comments:
great post
Jerry,
Thanks :-)
Ha ha ha. We're getting to know each other well. Glad to hear from the rant expert that this was not a rant :-)
This was a very helpful, excellent summary. Thanks.
John,
haha I guess we are :) I'm flattered that you would refer to me as an "expert" even if in the arena of "rants". :)
Thanks for stopping in.
If there is ever a "missional pin", I'm moving on to something else :-)
Being missional is about living out your faith, whether you ever heard or used the term or not. Gee, I think James said something like that... Faith without works is dead.
Good post. Are you sure it wasn't a rant though... it really looked like a rant...
John Lunt,
You didn't get the memo regarding the new missional pin? Tisk, tisk. :)
I love, more than anything, to see faith in action through the works we do in Christ's name. You, I might add are one, along with a few others that truly do a great job sharing what missional living looks like in todays world.
Thanks! :)
Yep - good stuff Shannon.
I think the reason there is a lot of talk and not so many stories of missional living is most folk involved in a missional life are engaged in experiments that may only just be beginning to bear fruit. There may also be a general reluctance to share what is going on, not wanting to be seen to be "trumpet blowing".
That said - I want to tell you about some fruit I experienced today - a young guy I have been working with (in my capacity as a youth worker) and who has been struggling with some heavy duty drug issues, came to me today and said he wants to know and follow Jesus Christ. He said that when he heard about Jesus last year all the pieces of the puzzle fell into place and he now knows where he wants to be, and that is with Christ.
This is where it is at!
Praise and thanks be to God for the lives he uses, in his wisdom, us to change.
Andrew,
I hope that you are correct in that we're experimenting and waiting for fruit to develop before we share it.
Praise God for this young man. I think it's the greatest testament to living missionally if by our living it, others desire to know Christ!
Paul,
Smulo-esque? lol Whatchu talkin bout Willis? :-)
Thanks for stopping by and commenting :)
Smulo-esque, even I don't know what that is, lol.
And did Paul really say "ballsing"?! I learn knew words everyday reading what Paul writes :-)
The weird thing is I always say "whatchu talkin bout Willis". Must be more of that Smulo-esque :-)
John said, "The weird thing is I always say "whatchu talkin bout Willis". Must be more of that Smulo-esque"
LOL!
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