Thanks Ed

I was sitting at my desk looking up the past and imperative tense of the 40 most common German verbs, and as you can probably imagine, my mind was wandering. I drifted to Twitter for the tenth time and I noticed Ed Stezer's twitter asking why "missional" Christians are not into missions. From the context that Ed is traveling through Europe right now, I'm assuming that he meant that they are not into cross-cultural communication of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Thinking about his Twitters and blogs, I got to thinking:

A little background to catch you up:

"Missional" Christians believe that Jesus is who he said he is. The Bible is a perfect gift from God that reveals the Truth to us and, together with the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we are changed into the likeness of Christ - and this is where life gets interesting. We recognize people who haven't converted think that we live strangely.

Christians throughout history have responded in different ways, but missional Christians live their lives in community that intentionally strip off the "Christidom" stuff. We live like our non-believing neighbors in every way except that our lives are focused on Christ and the community He builds. We are activist citizens believing that people can change their own culture for the better. And, we make friends with the hope that they will see our hearts and after conversations, looking through the Bible, working with us, and that mystery of the Holy Spirit working in their lives, they will choose for themselves to follow Jesus.

But, our brothers in faith are concerned that we are not crossing cultures and therefore are not obeying the Great Commission that is Jesus' last command to His disciples recorded in the Bible.

MY POINT IS:

Christians who are really "missional" are focused on their own people group. And, a person can only focus on one culture at a time and have a chance of actually be part of it or have a positive impact. I also believe that cultures can only be changed by those who are from within. No social justice can be created or preserved without those who are within the community to demand it.

Starting with worldview, the complexities of life within a culture are enthralling. So, if you are paying attention to what your neighbors think about life, how that effects their opinions. If you are looking deeper at what is important and how you can change the world, meaning you're ten block radius starting in your own circle of friends - well starting with you. Those who are doing this are glorifying God and changing people's minds about God. Maybe it's because God wants to use His people to be the changes and the miracles that everyone in the world is starving for.

Obviously, I have personal reasons to pull out and go some where completely different and become a child again - so that people who would not otherwise understand will have a chance to see and hear the Gospel in my life. But, I've been called and equipped to leave and become a perpetual catalyst/learner outsider, rather than an activist insider. (There are many reasons why I pro missions, but that's not they point of this entry.)

It's hard when you're already deeply invested in people's lives to pull away and focus somewhere else where you know that the object of focus will never become completely clear. It's hard to learn a new language knowing you will never get the subtle jokes. I love it, was made for it, and I thank God every day for it. But, I do not expect every believer to cross cultures just because most English translations of the Bible says "go" instead of the Greek's "as you are going."

Looking to the future:

So I say to those who are still in your home networks: If you will focus on loving God and loving people in your own community, it will change the world more than if everyone went on "mission."

I hope, that's what missional churches are doing. As they mature and get to know their communities, they will see that their community is already connected to communities all over the world. And, I pray that they will act on those relationships, rather manufacture activity out of obligation. Networks are already in place all over the world, and if they are activated, who knows what could happen.