Missional Church

Matthew 5:13-16 (TM):  "Let me tell you why you are here.  You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth.  If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness?  You've lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.  Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world.  God is not a secret to be kept.  We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill.  If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you?  I'm putting you on a light stand.  Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand - shine!  Keep open house; be generous with your lives.  By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven."

I've been giving this whole "salt of the earth" and "light on top of the hill" thing quite a bit of thought recently. This results in a lot of introspection; but, I have also been thinking about the church at large, the body of Christ. It seems that somewhere along the line, we have dropped the ball, individually and corporately.

Who do most Christians hang out with? I know that I prefer to be with my Christian friends vs. my friends that do not have a relationship with Christ. For starters, we have one very important thing in common, our relationship with Christ, and the community and fellowship that results. Plus, it's a lot easier to talk about Jesus with someone else that knows Him vs. someone that doesn't. But, what does that really say about us?

Think about who Jesus hung out with; commercial fishermen, prostitutes, tax collectors, thieves, drunks, and the physically and emotionally wounded. We, on the other hand, prefer the company of people who think they, like us, have their spiritual stuff together, as opposed to people who do not share our spiritual beliefs.

Now give this some serious thought. What would happen if we went out and chose a group of people to go camping with for three years. Out of this group we had to choose some common laborers (preferably poorly educated ones that smelled bad like fishermen), a prostitute (whose mere presence could potentially ruin your reputation), a known thief, and a few known for taking advantage of others financially. Does that sound like a great, fun-filled adventure?

Just imagine sleeping in tents together under every possible type of weather, backpacking every where you went, and cooking meals over an open fire together. Can you imagine all the stuff that would surface in our lives as a result of being around people like this for three years?  But isn't that what Jesus did?

We, on the other hand, go to church to worship God with our church friends, dine out with our church friends, invite our church friends over to watch movies and special programs, have our church friend's children over to play with our children, go to church socials with our church friends, and pretty much communicate via phone, e-mail, whatever, almost entirely with our church friends.  Then, here's the clincher, we have the nerve to say, "the world is going to Hell in a handbasket!"  I wonder why?!?

There were several passages from the Bible that were the focus of attention during my upbringing in the traditional model of church.  Obviously there is truth to them because it is Holy Scripture.  However, it is easy to focus all attention on one or two scriptures, while ignoring MANY others, even taking it out of context.  I have learned a hermeneutical principle along the way - interpret scripture by scripture.  Don't build a doctrine or teaching around one or two verses by themselves.  Here were a few of those overused and taken out of context passages:  1 Corinthians 15:33, 1 John 2:15-17, Romans 12:2, and 2 Corinthians 6:14-18.

1 Corinthians 15:33: "Bad company corrupts good character."

1 John 2:15-17:  "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world.  The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever."

Romans 12:2:  "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."

2 Corinthians 6:14-18:  "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?  What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?  What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.  Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.  I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.'"

Whoever penned the old saying, "you are known by the company you keep", obviously didn't know too much about Jesus. Don't get me wrong; I am not advocating devoiding ourselves from our Christian relationships, or stopping church attendance. I am advocating balance. Being with our brothers and sisters in Christ is extremely important. Worshipping together, sharing our burdens, telling our Jesus stories to each other, fellowshipping together, and praying for each other is critical! But, where's the balance? Where's the salt? Where's the light?

If we walk into most average churches on an average Sunday morning, who will we see there? Chances are, there will be the same people who were there last week, last month, even last year. Look in the immediate future. Who do we see? Probably the same people. Of course, there will be a few new faces scattered about from time to time, but not many.

The point never has been, is not now, nor ever will be, getting people to come to church. The point is, assisting people in developing a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, and helping usher them into and living in His Kingdom!

Jesus said, "whatever you have done for the least of these, you have done for Me. Whatever you have not done for the least of these, you also have not done for Me".

How do we go about this?  How do we bring Jesus into our workplace, our times of play and entertainment?  How do we go about "doing for the least of these"?  How do we become the salt and light?  How do we turn our churches into rescue missions?  How do we go from a highly organized religious country club mentality to a missional outpost of the Kingdom way of thinking and living?

I think we can begin when we realize that we too were once separated from God, and only by the grace He has exhibited through His Son are we able to crawl up in His lap, and cry Abba, Father. But, we can't stop there in our thought processes. We have to understand that we are, literally, His army. God has chosen us to carry out His divine orders.

Of course, He really doesn't need us to do this, He is, after all, God. But, He has chosen us for this mission! He wants us to join Him in His work because of His amazing love for us. This has nothing to do with what we can do for God; but everything to do with what He can do through us! We are the people that God has chosen to utilize to win the hearts of everyone on the face of this earth, for Him.  God is on mission and He invites us to join Him on mission too!

We are not soldiers in an army housed in barracks, and uniformed to be separated from the world. On the contrary, we are to be infiltrators, seeping out into the workplace, the road-sides, our neighborhoods, even as far as the ends of the earth. We assemble to hear His word, be encouraged, hear Jesus stories, praise Him with song, and to be so infused with the Holy Spirit that we become like Jesus for the rest of the world.

We are to literally become the body of Christ, so that we may infiltrate our society with God's love; going to whatever lengths necessary to usher people into His Kingdom. We can't leave "church" at church in order to accomplish this. We cannot leave God in the Bible after we close it.  We have to keep Him (God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit) with us wherever we go. We have to keep our eyes on Him, our hearts on Him, and our ears listening to His every direction; meanwhile, keeping our fingertips on the pulse of the society in which He has placed us to minister to His world.

Jesus is our role model, our measuring device.  Our minds should be in tune to the One whose idea of strength and leadership was demonstrated by washing the feet of those He led, and ultimately demonstrated by His death on the cross.

Jesus didn't hang out with just "church folks" and religious people.  He hung out with the poor, lost, sick, depraved, and mentally ill.  Oh yeah, He also spent a lot of time hanging out with His Dad!  Many of us would say we welcome people like this in our church, wouldn't we?  It might even be in our purpose or vision statements.  We might even talk about it in teachings.  Why are we expecting them to come in here?  What are we doing to bring Jesus out there?

Remember all those people we have relationship through work and play that don't know and follow Jesus? Ask them over for supper. Ask them to come to a church social with us. Go to their homes and ask if they have any special needs or prayer concerns.  Send them a card or flowers through difficulties they might be experiencing.  The opportunities are limitless.

Start looking for ways to be a servant. Another way to state this is, look for ways to practice "random acts of kindness". Isn't that what Jesus did? He saw a need and He met it. Think about the homeless, house bound, broken down motorists traveling through our community, the child down the street without enough money for school books, prisoners, single parents, flood and hurricane victims, and those affected by sickness or disease.

The opportunities to demonstrate the gospel of the Kingdom are overwhelming! There are so many ways to say, "You matter to God and you matter to me". Don't forget, sooner or later, when the time is right, we got to tell them about Jesus. God will provide the opportunity; He's that kind of God.

This is what incarnational living is all about.  "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:1, 14). 

Incarnational living finds its source in the love and care of God for His creation.  God demonstrated His care and love for humanity by becoming human.  It must be this love of God that takes hold of us and inspires us, in turn, to care for others.

Outreach to the unchurched must consider the issues of incarnation by going where people go, living in their world.

Because Jesus is love incarnate, He chose to leave the comfort and glory of heaven and dwell among humans.  Think about this...God the eternal Son became man to dwell side by side with each of us.

Side by side...incarnational living.  What does this look like?

Although the incarnation first took place over 2000 years ago in the life of a young teenage girl, it continues to happen every time we share His love with others...when we speak words of life in His name...when we offer a shoulder to cry on...when we offer a helping hand...a touch to heal...a handshake of welcome and acceptance...when we give a cup of water in His name...It happens whenever and wherever the name of Jesus is lifted up...every time we choose to forgive...etc.

I think we have believed that, "If we will build it, they will come."  We have built many, and they are not coming.  It was never God's intention for us to stay in it and hopefully they will eventually come to us.  God says, "Go..."  That is what Jesus did!

So, what are we going to do?  The choice is ours, as always.  Are we going to be fishers of men or keepers of the aquarium?  Are we going to be a missional community, or are we going to spend all our time warming a seat?  We love the exciting things that take place when we come together as God's community in worship and teaching and prayer ministry, but don't forget, we can bring this to the streets.  The meat is in the street!

Missional Communities - this is what church is!  Don't forget, God has called us into a relationship with Him because He loves us, and because He wants us to make a difference in this world.  He wants us to be the "salt of the earth" and the "lighthouse on top of the hill".  He wants people to see Him through us.