For the past three weeks I’ve been speaking a lot on missional living. The term “missional” has become somewhat of a common slogan used by many simply to sound cool, but we’re trying to really embody the concept. And while it is true that we are responsible for our personal and individual relationship with God through Jesus, it is also true that the Church is comprised of individuals that make up a corporate body! In our individualistic American culture, we need be careful in how our fascination and love for individuality does not replace and override what the bible teaches about ecclesiology.
Thus, my thesis for yesterday was that missional living needs to be seen through community. This is to say that I missional living becomes highly effective when it is viewed through the lense of relationships. There is a great deal of power through community and relationships. Luke’s record of the birth of the Church implies this very concept…
“So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” – Acts 2:41-47
As you’ll notice, the church grows by 3,000 people and those early converts are devoted to apostolic teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayer which then leads to great signs and wonders, generous communal living, and more evangelical fruit. So while the early Christians living relationally in a close community, missions naturally happens. And what’s clear is that the missional living is effective (i.e., “and the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved”).
So here we are, some two thousand years later. As noted, we live in a western civilization that is rooted in an individualistic presupposition that does nothing but attack the very essential characteristics that help build and maintain community through relationships. How do we respond to this problem? How are we to confront a worldview that does everything it can to keep us seperated and essentially alone and without support?
Along with being devoted to relationships, as were the early followers of Jesus, we must pursue relationships. This simply means that we must become intentional in our living. If I desire to live missionally, I can no longer drift aimlessly through life, ignoring the thousands of people around me who are in need of salvation. I have to have purpose. Living missionally demands that we are intentional and purposed at reaching people by building relationships.
The sad truth is that in many cases, we more or less have to earn the right to speak into peoples lives. Against our “fast-food” culture, this takes time. And if relationships take time, than we obviously must invest our time and energy in them! Every relationship that I have that has depth was built over a long period of time. In regards to relationships and trust issues, nothing happens easily or quickly in a post-modern society.
Yet far to often, Christians are essentially absent from culture and stuck in what Dan Kimball has eloquently described as “the Christian bubble” (cf., They Like Jesus But Not The Church, 42-48). This generally prevents Christians from interacting with non-Christians because slowly over time they simply do not know any non-Christians! Kimball writes,
“I can’t help but think of Jesus’ prayer for his disciples: “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one” (John 17:15). He didn’t pray that we isolate ourselves from those outside the church. He didn’t pray that we should be happy and content living inside a Christian bubble listening to our favorite worship band or Christian musician on our iPods. Instead, Jesus seemed concerned that his folllowers not isolate themselves from the wrold around them. He was concerned that we understand that evil is real and that we should be aware of the schemes of evil (2 Cor. 2:11) that would thwart us from the mission that Jesus sent us on.” (p. 47-48).
Perhaps the greatest need within a missional lifestyle is fellowship with the Spirit. Many evangelicals emphasize a relationship with Jesus and ignore the crucial missional-empowering fellowship that one can have with the Holy Spirit! But this was an essential to the mission-minded framework of the NT. In fact, Paul closes 2 Corinthians with a Trinitarian benediction that I believe is crucial to understanding of how we are to understand both the gospel and progressive sanctification.
Fellowship with the Spirit. What an amazing concept. Words cannot express the awe and splendor of such a relationship. And in regards to missional living, the Scriptures make it clear that fellowship with the Spirit will empower us to boldly proclaim the gospel of the kingdom! We find evidence of this specifically in Acts 1:8, which states,
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses…”
Now, I have two concerns with this. Firstly, we must realize that the gospel is confrontational. If our gospel is not confrontational or somewhat “offensive” than we are probably not presenting the gospel of the kingdom. Many Christians certainly share a gospel but their gospel isn’t always the same as the gospel that Jesus, Peter, Paul, and John preached. The gospel must include a radical call to obedience and transformation. Following Jesus is not easy; in fact, it is costly on every level.
Secondly, this does not mean that we are called to share the gospel specifically to offend people. Time and time again I have heard Christians make statements like, “our job is just to present the raw truth” or “just tell them how it is.” The context of these statements always suggests that the most offensive we can present the gospel, the better our reward! But I’m unaware of any Scripture that says we receive points for how many times we “tell them how it is” without love and grace. Yes, we need to communicate the gospel in terms of “sin” and “repentance” and “redemption” and “forgiveness” but we Peter states that we are to always be ready to provide a defense for the hope of the gospel gently and with respect.
I believe Jesus provides a great model for this in John 4. As you may recall, John 4 is the text where Jesus interacts with a Samaritan women who had lived through five broken marriages and was then living with a man outside of the bounds of marriage. But Jesus paints such a beautiful picture of a gracious and loving confrontation of the gospel. And this leads to an entire city being redeemed (cf. John 4:39-42). But Jesus modeled missional living in the fellowship of the Spirit, which is a great goal for each of us.
So, here are some questions to ask ourselves…
- If I were to evaluate my life, what prevents me from really embracing community through relationships?
- Why are we not intentional at forming relationships with sinners? Are we afraid of them? Are we unable to relate to them?
- Why do most Christians join the “Christian bubble”?
- Does my fellowship with the Holy Spirit lead to missional living or emotional experience or both? (Yeah, be honest here).
for the glory of Christ,
luke g.
Luke is a pastor-theologian living in northern California, serving as a co-lead pastor with his life, Dawn, at the Red Bluff Vineyard. Father of five amazing kids, when Luke isn’t hanging with his family, reading or writing theology, he moonlights as a fly fishing guide for Confluence Outfitters. He blogs regularly at LukeGeraty.com and regularly contributes to his YouTube channel.
Luke, this was an excellent contribution. Probably one of the best I’ve read from you. I wish I’d been there to listen. My thoughts to your questions are:
In my life, time and energy are what prevent developing relationships with new people. Your thoughts challenge me!
I no longer fear “sinners” any more than I fear the boogie man. We are all created in God’s image and I’m commissioned by the Lord simply to love people in a way that pleases God.
The Christian bubble is warm and inviting, which is why it is toxic.
I’m not sure how to answer this last question. I hope both, but often times it has been only an emotional experience.
Again, excellent post!
hey, can i reprint this luke? check your email. i wantto give this to my pastor and some students. thanks
Simple and profound. I can do this. I like what you wrote when you said,
Thanks.
Dr. Glazer – thanks for those kind words.
Tony – I did not see an email from you. Did you send it to my tcf email? or thinktheology one? maybe it’s in my spam filter since I added your address to my junk mail file. jk. he he. Yeah, print away. It’s good times.
Erin – Thanks too. Glad you can relate. How’s TX?
Great post, with a lot of meat in this one!! For someone who gets paid by the word, it’s tought o be brief on this one, but here’s my answer to your questions….
I believe we avoid relationships, struggle with others in the Body, and huddle as Christians because we are simply lazy. We expect homogeneity in the church: if God called me to think/be/do something, we think He must want everyone to be just like me, because uniformity is easier than living out grace and kindness, meekness and mercy. Non-Christians challenge us because they expect us to live consistent lives and show signs that God is really alive and at work within us, so we avoid them. We avoid the enabling of the Spirit in meaningful ways in our lives, at times, because we recognize that He is empowering us to live like Jesus, and we’d rather live easy lives. It reminds me of the G.K. Chesterton quote: The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried. While he wrote it about non-believers, I believe it applies to us, as well. I say “we” here rather than “me” because I see this in not just me, but also in others around me, even though I believe God intends better (Eph 2:8-10). Perhaps you’ve felt the same pull.
The solution is to live “radical lives of obedience and transformation” but, as you stated so well, choosing is costly. Not that this lifestyle is actually difficult — Jesus promised in Matt 11:30 that His burden is light — but choosing it is because it forces us to abandon all of the lesser things the world offers. But, I in my weakness too often chose to value the passing over the permanent, the ephemeral over the everlasting. Silly, especially since we know that God has better plans for us and we lose what the Spirit should produce in us — including all of the emotional side effects like love, joy, peace, patience, etc. (Gal 5:22-26)
So, for me, the answer to avoiding the stupid stuff is to be filled with awe once more by the infinitely patient God who only asks me to accomplish what He enables me to do: be filled, be transformed, be open, be connected to Him and others around me, so He can accomplish things greater than Jesus did (John 14:12). Like Erin said, it is simple and profound but, equally, it is hard to live out at a deep level. Superficiality seems so much easier but supernatural empowerment is so much better; this requires keeping in step with the Spirit (Gal 5:25 NIV). Since He’s heading out into my world to transform isolated rebels into a single Body of worshipers, keeping in step with Him means that I need to, as well. That’s empowered missional living.
Hey, Luke!
I will be honest. This has got to be the most miserable blog I have tried to respond to!!! and I don’t mean that it’s a miserable blog!! I love what you wrote! Like MichaelZ. said,it’s “meaty”. So, I have been thinking over a lot of what you wrote and when I have tried to respond, I have written just about ten pages of crap! I ramble on and on…like some sort of disease of divine proportions, it has infected every part of me, and like a rash, it won’t let me rest! It really is annoying!
Why? because my past experiences with church have left me wounded in ways I thought I had forgiven and forgotten long ago, but not so. It makes me angry when I consider the machine that church can be. The whole negative side of church really roars over any good I have gotten out of “community”, versus individual relationships, outside of the main body.
You know….I have to laugh or I would be a sobbing puddle on the floor when I think back over my history in church…and I don’t think I am a seriously mental case who needs or has ever needed serious medication to fit well into society….but church? that is a completely different animal, I think.
Then …and now…though. This has given me time to remember back and shudder. It also gives me a pretty good reason to thank God that He changes us. He can also change what I will have happen in church. I can change who and how I deal with things in church too.
A new acquaintance in church the other day joked with me by asking if i made it all the way into the sanctuary and to my up front row with out anyone saying hi to me. I laughed and said yes! and I was glad. It’s ok if I don’t have the pastor come shake my hand, and I still hate to be asked to do some event if i really don’t feel lead to, for fear of rejection and I am trying not to just flat out reject anyone for stupid reasons.
It does take time to meet new people, to invest in them our time, but it’s the most important thing we do here on earth, is it not???? I can do one on one stuff really well. It’s easy for me. Groups are dangerous to me, but I’m working on changing that way of thinking. See, as a hairstylist and artist, makeovers are tons of fun for me! You take something, and that change, well, I love that. and I love that wrestling match with God, while He lovingly gets me going in the direction He wants me to. I think He has to like our wrestling with Him, …wanting Him to really make it clear what way to go, and how to be.
I have been in a number of churches , from the stupidly emotionally pump you up sort of charismatic setting to the Oh,my gosh, everyone here is dead!!! sort of church. Individuals there in each have been really cool friends, and I have learned a lot from them, but the personal difficulty I experience in church, well…..no one wants to discuss that stuff. Just overcome it! Just dive in. Just go sharpen pencils , do something, because you don’t matter if you aren’t working in it.
Ok, enough rambling….your questions? I feel like your first question is asking a couple of things, but I don’t know. What are you really asking there? What does experiencing community through relationships mean? I really believe in my sphere of influence and doing what I can to make some waves in that. If God stretches it out, I try to pray, be really open to what is going on in it. You really have no idea who you have watching and listening to you sometimes and the smallest gesture to you toward someone else could mean something paramount in their lives and I love being a part of that!!! I love those times when something is soooooooooooo God! You just know He wanted to do something but you have no idea what exactly but you were there in on something big. That is awesome! Community? By far my most fearful territory God is putting me into once again. I become a quivering, tearful puddle in the face of church. I have a friend who is a Vietnam vet. He overheard me talk about panic i sometimes have just being in church, and I know by the look on his face and some talks we had after that, that he felt that same way, but I wonder if just knowing that he wasn’t alone didnt help him feel more comfortable with me after that….being vulnerable and transparent are powerful tools when we are secure with Christ. I sure don’t want that to sound flippant. It’s true thought, that the more I build my relationship with God, the safer and healthier vulnerability and transparency seems to be for me. Whew!!!! LOL…
I don’t think I avoid contact with “sinners”. I don’t go walking up to strangers of any kind unless I have a need to, like work, or I feel lead. To be honest, we are supposed to be filled with the Spirit and following His lead with everything , right? Well, I don’t feel lead to go knock on doors, I want to be relational and intentional with people. I don’t see where bringing in through the doors ever helped many ,….but God does that too. I have seen more people come to know God better, if at all, but their individual relationships with believers. I have never been in a Christian bubble because I know how narrow minded and faith deadening that can be…I have seen people in those bubbles. They are comfortable. They have their own to take care of, so they say. Or maybe they would never even say that and don’t even know they are acting that way, but in everything they are doing, they show that. Actions speak really loud and clear. Words, weellllll……we all know words can ring very hollow.
Last question….I have no idea what you what with that question. I don’t have a clue what you meant by it. you need to talk with tiny words for the slow people like me, ok? LOL….sigh…um…ok…if you meant in my relationship with God, do I want to share what I have in Him with others, more sinners or just Christians, or is it all about a feel good feeling? Or is there more to that emotional connection? I feel definitely emotionally stirred up by God. I am also level headed with God with others. God moves me. He needs to emotionall move me more…I want that living, vivacious , breathing moving relationship with God. That means emotions …like crying!! (I know you are very comfortable about people crying around you…so you can handle that, right?? LOL) …..and the full range of emotions. So , beyond that, …um…its not ONLY an emotional feel good rush I want to keep having like a drug fix. my next high…no. Its not that. If God permeates every cell of your being, then it will oooooze out in your thoughts, how you use your brain, your heart, etc, etc. Its a fully conscious choice , its a clear, deliberate will ….its mystery. blah, blah, blah….holy cow! I’m getting tired of listening to myself babble, so enough!! Please fire away here at will! 🙂 and by the way….thanks for letting me say no, and not feel rejected at all about that church “project”.
Erin, I have a question for you….what do you mean by “I can do this”? I agree with you, too, that it seems simple and profound, doesn’t it? I like simple things…and ironically, God seems to really be LOTS of simple and profound! I don’t know how anyone gets through life without Him in it on purpose. How sad when that happens. Have you known God long? Often, I feel like I’m smack at the beginning of figuring Him out some more. It sure doesn’t get boring with God!
I meant that I can be missional. I’ve always thought missions was about what people did in Africa and I simply didn’t allow it to concern me. But the Lord has been showing me more and more about missional living. And this blog post has had a chain reaction effect in my life!
I’m a shy girl who has a few really close friends so I normally don’t go out of my way to form relationships with people who aren’t in my circle. But when I think about what Luke said about the Holy Spirit I kind of see how silly it is.
I guess I came to the conclusion that I can reach people for Jesus. And I’ve never thought of that. By the way, I know what you mean! I constantly feel like I’m in the beginning of everything! Every day I learn new things!
Ivory & Erin: I’ve been a Christian a while (only a few years longer than Luke has been alive!!!) but I’m right with you in feeling like I’m just getting started as well. Every day I discover that I’ve underestimated God, and He’s teaching me something new about Himself or about me. Isn’t it fun?!?!
Hey, Erin, sorry it has taken me so long to respond back! I am excited that God is doing a chain reaction of cool things because of this blog! I am really having some cool stuff going on too!
I understand being shy….I have my moments, though most people laugh now if I say I was really shy before. Now I just have pockets of shyness…LOL…if that makes any sense. I have had a life where friends have come and gone, and for a long time, I felt as if I was living on a giant intersection in life where people come, stop a while, then go again, but I felt I wasn’t moving!! NOw, though, looking back, I have gotten to grow a ton from what others have had going on in their lives and the connection I had with them. Some people stay for a long time, and we are very close to them, and sometimes the woman at the gas station can be deeply affected with out even knowing it by your consistent kindness. We have no idea how or who we affect and that is good! Otherwise I think we get in the way of things. Right? Just imagine, Erin, How your few words so far have already reached me, and I hope you keep on blogging!! Besides, we can’t let the guy/girl ratio get us way outnumbered! We have to stick together!!! I hope your day is going really well…and Thank you Michael for your encouragement!!!
Yeah, Luke, I would have loved more time Sunday for that panel. You never discussed women pastors or a lot of stuff!!!! 🙂