Mark Sayers has a good reflection on his experience of running a missional church here. I have reflected on the question of ‘Is the church missional?‘ in the past.
Theologically speaking the church cannot be fundamentally missional for the church is eternal and mission is not. However I do not want to diminish the importance of mission in the present context. The helpful reflection Mark brings is that mission comes out of our experience of God. I would want ot push this to say that it is as we gather and are discipled around the word of God that we then look out in mission. God helps us to see the things he is doing in Christ which then gives us a deep concern for others and God’s world.
This cartoon really struck me, probably more because I am consious of how idealistic christians can be. Sometimes a little more reality can be good.
How can we build real disciples of Jesus? After all mission is about more than just getting people into our meetings or into our network of friends. If we believe Hebrews (esp. 10:34) when it tells us that following Jesus the best way to live, he is the best thing you could ever get then that ought to work itself out in our lives. We all seem to have no trouble talking about the great things we have just bought, so it seems to me that if we are to take Jesus seriously then talking about him is the natural thing to do. Unfortunately our world tells us that religion is a matter of individual preference and should not be talked about. This is one thing we ought to challenge. It is not our choice that it is important, but the great work our Creator God has done by sending his Son Jesus. Discipleship is simply following Jesus (Matt 16:24), it is realising that our world does not have the answers and living a different way. If we are to have real disciples we are looking for authentic disciples who take God’s word, the Bible, seriously. We are not looking for mere attendance and people who say yes but do nothing, we are looking for people who are being transformed (Rom 12:1-3). The way to encourage this is not merely through programs and meetings but through honest relationships. This means it always starts with the way we live, the way we speak and the way we relate. I would like to encourage you to think about the importance of your life and your hospitality in creating real disciples. Sharing life (1Thes 2:8) seems to be one of the simplest things that gets sidelined too quickly today.
