First, if you’re tracking with the conversation on the ‘missional church’ or ‘missional living’ then some/much of what you read below might be familiar to you. I’m just pulling together the conversations I’ve been having and the teachings that have been shaping me. Second, you might suggest, ‘missional’ is just a hip term for living obediently as Christ has called us to live. You’re right. The problem is, so many aren’t living like that. So let’s dive in. Here’s what I’m learning and thinking about missional living.
To me, the best way to start this conversation is to look at a picture. I’m kind of a visual person. I’m not sure where I picked this up, but I know I’ve seen it at Entermission once or twice.
On the left side we see what we might call the nominal Christian. Here, Jesus is just a compartment in the box we call our life. It seems that this is the American way. We’ve got so much going on and Jesus hasn’t really impacted our life in a massive way and so we compartmentalize our faith. I put Jesus in parenthesis here because really, this compartment is about our religion and church an hour or two a week. It’s not even primary in the box. Its just worked in there a little ways down. Sometimes, these people will go on a mission trip or invite someone to join them when they go to this box once a week. But, in truth, Jesus is not allowed to affect the other boxes.
The right side is where we see missional living played out. Jesus is at the center of a circle or a wheel. He is the hub. Here he has affected the believer. This person sees Jesus as the only thing that satisfies. Because of this he bleeds over and affects all parts of the persons life. He is not a compartment. He is the central piece and the other parts of this person’s life are not only affected by Jesus but they require him to be in the center making them move (clearly this wheel would not move very well due to its funky shape, but I’m no Picasso). Every part of this person’s life is about sharing what is happening at the hub. Not in a weird way. But a genuine way.
The missional life understands what is happening in 2 Corinthians 5. We have been reconciled to God. This truth humbles us and rocks us to the core. Then we are further humbled when we hear, “we have been given the ministry of reconciliation.” This does not mean, once a week for an hour and the rest of your life is not affected by what Jesus has done in your life. It does not mean that it is just up to the ‘pastor’ or the ‘professional Christian’. Because the passage goes on and it says, “we are therefore Christ’s ambassadors.” All of us have been given this message and title. Ambassadors take the message and go. They are sent. They engage the culture they are sent to. They no longer see people as “you are here to serve me,” rather, “I am here to serve you and show you the hope of Christ in me and the freedom I have found in him.”
Suddenly, knowing my barista’s name is important, and knowing what’s happening in his life is more important. The other parents at the soccer field suddenly matter more than they did before. The people in the cubicles next to me are not only my co-workers but friends who are put in my life for me to serve and demonstrate the attitude of Christ Jesus. Everywhere I go, it is my responsibility to engage the culture, to leave the four walls and make Christ more than just an hour on Sunday or a Bible study on Thursday nights. You name the area. Christ is affecting it.
Missional living. That’s the start of the conversation for me…
RUSTY HUTSON
JOSH AGERTON
BRIAN JOHNSON
JACK FISHER
JULIA FARROW
SCOTT FILLMER
LEE CADDEN
APRIL OLIVE
Brian, Thank you. Some great thoughts and the visual models are always helpful. Thank you for your insight. I believe in a culture where we break everything into chunks of time, manage schedules and calendars-it is very easy to resort to a compartmentalized perspective. We all seem to live by our checklists-who doesn’t have a top five? Even churches have their lists of things they want to encourage us to do. Many times we contribute to this sense of compartmentalization. What we also have to realize is that people are at different places along the journey. Hopefully we are all moving closer towards Christ in all aspects. Jesus taught on this in the parable of the four soils when he described how we would receive His word. What that parable helps us realize is that there are seasons in our life. There are many times when we are dry-and it seems difficult for the Holy Spirit to get to us, or there are times when we are choked and burdened by the cares of the world…at these times we may resort to the compartment mentality-just get through these few things, be a part of a Bible study, be more disciplined in prayer etc. And yet, as we do these things, for whatever motive, it certainly helps us cultivate a soil that is ready to receive and grow.
The phrase that stuck out is “nominal Christian”. I certainly understand what your intention is with this. However that sets us up for comparing ourselves to one another and judging one another when that really is a matter of the heart and only something Christ can do. Who is to say what the difference is between a nominal Christian and a model Christian? This is the very thing that Jesus challenged the Pharisees with and if we aren’t careful fall into the same legalistic trap. We as Christians can so easily “shoot our wounded” versus “bear one another’s burdens”.
Again, the model is great. Jesus as the hub and center certainly resonates, much like our own heart being somewhat center in our body-probably why we ask Jesus to “come into our heart”. I like the perspective of John Wesley who also recognized how we could reduce the work of Christ as a check list or something we just fit into our schedule. But he couched our spiritual growth in terms of “growing in grace and sanctifying grace”. Thus a believer, after accepting Christ’s love would then engage in two areas, works of piety and works of mercy-mind you as response to Christ’s love not to earn it. Works of piety were spiritual disciplines like prayer, meditation, study, and worship. Equally important were works of mercy such as service, hospitality, and generosity. Engaging in a lifestyle where Christ emanates out of us and is our center then helps in the times when we are dry, when we try to do things ourselves, or even run on fumes-when we are mostly likely to work out of a “compartmentalized mindset”. And the key, a body of believers who bear one another’s burdens recognizing we all have times of great growth and other times when it seems we have flattened out or even gone backwards.
Daily life then is to set out to be faithful and Christlike in all things. I think that is your point. Thank you for your insight and sharing!