I wish that I had spent more time studying missiology when I was in seminary. Even though there was an emphasis on missions throughout many of my classes, I only had one class focused solely on missions. Now, four years removed from seminary, I’m beginning to see that understanding and engaging in mission is one of the most important callings of the local church. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen a great deal of excitement over participation in mission coming from the those filling the pews on Sunday. Folks seem to get more excited over the latest bestselling book than they do about missions. Rather than being on mission with God, many treat church as a social club. This mindset will result in the demise of many of our churches. This has been on my mind for a while as I’ve sought an answer for how to get a congregation engaged in mission. Yesterday, it stopped being one of the many topics floating around in my head and became somewhat of a personal mission as I became the chair of our church’s outreach committee. Our committee met for the first time and most of our initial conversation centered around what events we could plan for the year. It seemed like we automatically went into “program” mode. I think that well-planned programming can contribute a great deal to church life, but I feel like what we really need as a congregation is to go back to square one and teach a practical theology of missions, conveying the missional calling of every believer.
(Ed Stetzer: SBC Annual Convention 2007)
I believe that Christian Mission needs to be understood in three different elements:
1. Missio Dei
2. Mission
3. Missionary Mindset.
Missio Dei: God is Missional
Missio Dei is latin for “sending of God”. God is a sender. It is His nature It’s not just something He does, it’s who He is expressed most visibly in the Trinity. The Father sends the Son. The Father and the Son send the Holy Spirit. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit send the church. True mission begins with God, is guided by God and culminates in the glory of God. God is Missional. Mission is about God. The mission is His, not ours. It is Him revealing and reconciling the world to Himself.
Mission: God Reveals and Reconciles
God is a revealing God. He has been and is revealing Himself and His purposes for reconciliation throughout history.
Accentuating the Missio Dei, Scripture teaches that God reveals Himself to all mankind apart from any act of man…
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
(Rom 1:18-21)
God’s ultimate revelation of Himself is found in the Gospel Message:
Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
(1Co 15:1-4)
The Gospel of Christ is more than just another revelation of God. It is the Missio Dei expressed in the person of Christ. God sends Himself for His glory. Because of Christ, reconciliation is possible, restoring man’s friendship with God.
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
(2Co 5:17-21)
God’s Mission of Revelation and Reconciliation is given to us as Christ’s ambassadors to bear his message to the world.
Missionary Mindset: God Sends
Throughout history, God has revealed himself by sending messengers – Angels, Prophets, Christ, Apostles, etc. When most people think of contemporary missions, they naturally think of vocational missionaries. I think we need to reconsider this perspective. Missionary endeavor was never meant to be delegated to a few specialists. When we are adopted into the family of God, His mission becomes ours. He calls us to be instruments in revealing Himself to the world. Mission isn’t about starting projects it is about revealing God through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To be Christian is to be missional. It is a Missionary Mindset…a calling, a lifestyle.
We have grown too comfortable in our pews and traditions. It’s time we stopped promoting a “come and see” mentality of presenting the Gospel.
(Mar 16:15)
Technorati Tags: Missio Dei, Missionary, Missional, Mission, Gospel, Revelation, Reconciliation, Practical Theology, Ed Stetzer, North American Mission Board, International Mission Board
