Godgrown

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  Mark 10:57 am on February 15, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

  For All the Wrong Reasons 

  

  “Missional living.”

  That’s the buzz word I’m hearing all over Christian circles these days.  What in the world is “missional” you ask?  Good question -

  Like many words, its started in at the crossroads of the practitioners and the halls of academia.  A beautiful confluence of theory and practice; missionaries and theologians bringing together their best to uncover a truth — that God is a missionary…and we too, as the children of God are his missionaries.

  Living “missionally” is to live with the characteristics of a missionary, and therefore, with the characteristics of God.

  But what is a missionary?

  Essentially – a missionary is one who is going… going in two directions: going out, and going down.

  Missionaries:

  1. are sent into a new culture, far and away from their comfortable home, and missionaries…
  2. are buried deep into that culture and put on the clothes of that culture…to “incarnate.”

  This missionary God can be seen throughout the Bible as (1) consistently sending himself to his creation, and who (2)  is regularly “putting on flesh” by coming to his people in ways that we can understand – Living like God in this way is not something we just DECIDE to do – it is a grace that comes over time…a LONG time.

  There is a LOT of good that comes from calling people to live like our missionary God.  Imagine the way in which followers of God are doing infinitely more than Jesus alone could have done. (John 14:12)  We are, to borrow a phrase from Martin Luther, billions of “little Christs” spread like yeast throughout the earth!

  But too often, the call to “live missionally” becomes just another way for a church leader to brandish the whip of guilt and shame, to keep their congregation loyal to the their agenda.  And even if we put aside the temptation of leader’s to twist the godly call of living “missional” into a form of controlling their congregation, even if the call to live as missionaries is out of pure desire to follow after God -

  …the call to live missionally can become a burden or a pressure that replaces the “light burden” of Christ.

  We put a lot of pressure on Christians these days – We declare: “The church is always one generation away from extinction!”  ”Give to our church’s capital campaign and receive God’s ‘blessings!’”  ”The church in Europe is dead…you don’t want that to happen in America, do you?  Then get out there and save the church!”  All these things can develop an unhealthy pressure to live under the fear of negative blow back, rather than living missionally for the glory of God, and in the delight of your Creator!

  God is “missional” not because he is under some threat, or because he’s been guilted into it.  He’s missional because he loves; because he desires intimacy with his scattered, lost children!

  Here’s my point: If we ask Christians to “live like God” to “live missionally” – then it must come from a similar motivation!  Otherwise, we won’t create “little Christs” we will disciple someone into guilt, fear, and “twice the son of hell” that we are… (Mt 23:15)

  Missional living flows out of love.  It flows out of desire for intimacy.  Let it start there – and then wait about 30 years to see fruit from your missional living…that’s how long Jesus took – and do you really think you can out pace Jesus in this whole “missional living” thing?  :)

  

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    chad 7:59 am on February 16, 2011 Permalink

    Re: God not under some threat…not only is he not under the threat of someone else (the direct parallel to what you’re saying about one Christian coercing others to missional living), but God, God’s eternal plan, God’s kingdom are under no threat. The victory is won even if it hasn’t played out yet.

    It was helpful to me when a professor once said, “God doesn’t need you.” It helped me avoid a tendency to feel the need to be Jesus (in an unhealthy way, that is to try and save people of my own doing). It reminds me God is in control…though thats sometimes hard to see.

    it also makes it easier for me to think about my place in the kingdom. a humble servant, invited (not coerced, but invited) to a better life. thus it reminds me about the message Jesus calls us to share – not first to remind people of their sin and their need, but to inspire people with the hope of a better kingdom, a better life, a better relationship to which a loving God invites them.

    thanks for the thoughts mark

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    Mark W 3:00 pm on February 17, 2011 Permalink

    Re: “God doesn’t need you.” That is such a controversial statement in our culture today! Not only does it get me thinking about the nature of God’s character — he is ultimately strong – and therefore is not dependent on ME to get the work done…he can do it on his own…

    At the same time – Does he NOT need me? He created me. Why would he do that if it had nothing to do with something he needed? I’m thinking about Eph 2:10: “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

    Not that it is in my power to do these things – but it is almost as if God’s joy would not be complete without working alongside his children in the project of “saving” the world.

    What are you thoughts on this? Does God NEED me…the way I need a friend, a lover, a co-worker to make life worth living?

    Great thoughts Chad – you are always pushing me to thinking deeper. I appreciate that about you!

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  Mark 7:40 am on February 1, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

  The Last Chapter and the One After That 

  The final chapter of Isaiah is an exciting and harrowing chapter of God speaking over his brand new nation – Israel 2.0.  This picture of Israel will be based on a people who love and listen to a God “who is always broadcasting” and marks the citizens as his people who will be a blessing to every nation on earth.   He gets the final soliloquy, the final act – no one else gets a word in edge-wise throughout the chapter!  God himself defines his people through the vision he has for them, and what a picture he paints…

  God’s people are one of unity, peace, justice and harmony.  They are a people that attract every nation on the earth and who listen intently to their loving God.

  ——

  It has been a joy reading through the book of Isaiah and theo-blogging each chapter!  I didn’t know if I could do it starting out, but each day was truly an exercise in writing, an exercise in learning about the text – and in learning more about this great and mysterious God we love!

  I’d like to continue a daily blog post of some sort.  It may go into different series, or there may be more Bible-based chapter-by-chapter studies I’ll follow.  My Micro I’m a part of will be diving into Zachariah next, but I’ll spare you a blog series on another prophet for the time being.

  For over 5 years now, it has been my joy and privilege to write to you through this blog.  Here’s to another 5 years!

  
   
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  Mark 12:34 pm on January 29, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

  Control 

  The American Dream says that you can shape your own destiny – but it seems Isaiah, and other prominent writers in the Bible, say someone else makes us who we are:

  64:8 And yet, O Lord, you are our Father.

  We are the clay, and you are the potter.

  We all are formed by your hand.

  So are we able to make our own future?  Or are we simply chiseled into being by a force greater than us?

  Let’s start with birth – you didn’t exactly ask to be born, but here you are.  You didn’t have much say in your hair or eye color, or the color of your skin…but here you are nonetheless.  But what about other factors – your intelligence?  Your social status in life?  Your income?  The health of your marriage?  Your own death?  All these things get a little hazy when it comes to your real control.

  We like to think we have control over our lives – in fact, in America, we’ve made that priority 1 — “Safety first!” they always say.  We have scuttle home from our jobs in little boxes and slip unnoticed into a garage and pull the door down behind us.  We lock our doors, and update our privacy settings on Facebook.  We want to control what influences us – of course, this is not all coming from an unhealthy place – but it quickly engenders a sense that I am in complete control – and anything that established itself as an unwanted negative influence should be worked at removing; because I am in control.

  The ancients had a good sense of balance when it comes to such things.  Proverbs really pushes the idea life is what you make it – that doing good work will yield good results.  Ecclesiastes might be the other extreme, that “everything we do is meaningless!”

  And finally, Isaiah – a book and a prophet who had seen so much – the end of the Israelites, the exile, slavery, and the return of a beaten, demoralized people.  He knows there are certain things we can’t “buckle up” for in this life – that safety cannot always come first.

  It is in these moments we remember that we are completely out of control – that we are the satellite spinning wildly around a much bigger Center. That we are clay in someone else’s hands.  This can be frightening…or it can be liberating!

  It all depends what kind of Potter is in control.