missional

"Missions isn't just one of many programs or purposes of the church. It is the core, overarching, motivating logic for all that we do. A church neither exists for itself nor its parishioners, but for the kingdom and mission of God."

"The missional movement comes out of the desire to rebuild the credibility of the church by engaging and serving the culture."

It is interesting to think that this idea of being missional is something new. Ha! It is what Jesus did! He chose to become one of us in order to reach us. Isn't that what we are supposed to do? Aren't we supposed to integrate with others in order to win them? It is amazing how separate missions have gotten from the core of the church. As if missions should be equated with the fall ice cream social at church. Sad really, but unfortunately way too true.

I guess this just rings true with me. I have seen the church get further and further away from being missional as the focus and turn inward to check itself and its numbers way too often. Sadly, missions seems to be becoming something of the past with too many churches.

I know I could go on and on about this particular subject. I will refrain.

Missional Church vs. Seeker Church
"Go out" mentality vs. "Come in" mentality
Typically smaller churches vs. Frequently large, mega-sized churches
Often in urban settings vs. Often in suburbs
Small budgets, few paid staff vs. Large budgets, many paid staff
Thinking holistically vs. Disparate progamming
More organic, bottom up vs. More corporate, top down
Priesthood of all believers vs. Difference between pastors & laity
Action & demonstration vs. Words & proclamation
Everything mission-oriented vs. Missions as one of many programs
Goal to grow "the" church vs. Goal to grow "my" church
Younger congregations vs. Older, baby boomer congregations

From Biola Spring 09

perishable

It's funny really that we have such a fear of foods moving past their expiration date. Well, maybe my friend is the exception, I found a box of carrot cake mix that expired in 2002. But perishable items are a little more sketchy, I don't find too many things past their date in the fridge. One or two, but not a few.

A friend of mine, when he lived as a bachelor, held onto all kinds of bottles and cartons well after their time had come. In fact when my roommate and I cleaned out his fridge, there were milk jugs that had expired a year before. On the other hand, I have friends that once they see the date has passed will toss something in the garbage without looking or smelling. Mind you, they may be throwing away good items based on their "sell by" date alone.

I have learned, most things are worth checking out. In Peru, I made the most of most things and if my natural yogurt had an expiration of January, I still used it into February. Of course, I checked it each and every time I was about to pour it in a mixing bowl. You must take care with perishable items. Sooner or later they will perish.

But there are so many things in this life that are perishing and we forget. We hold onto them like my bachelor friend. 1 Peter 1:18-19 acknowledges that silver and gold will perish, unlike the redeeming blood of the lamb, which will not. We look forward to a day when the earth and all its works will be burned up to pave the way for the new heavens and the new earth (2pet 3:10-13). Yet, we continue to build up and store up. For what? To have more to lose in the end?

The pastor on Sunday morning made a quick and interesting statement. He was speaking about things we should focus on - the eternal and not the temporal. He stated that "the temporal will perish." Followed up quickly with, "these church buildings one day will be gone!"

So, sitting there with my mind half American, half Peruvian at this point, I couldn't help but think about the types of churches that I saw all over Peru and the types which I find here in the US. Seems like churches here are getting built up to be bigger and bigger, until the size of the lot is outgrown and a move "must" be made. I was intrigued by a small church in the jungle which had no doors. It had three walls and a roof, but that fourth wall was missing. Sure, it made for some work when they had to connect the lights to the electrical wires. It made for more work to carry the guitar and the offering plate down to the church. But, it was open and inviting. How many US churches these days have locked gates and security guards? What have we turned church into?

Anyways, it struck me that just like the milk that sits in your fridge has an expiration date because it is a perishable item, so the church building looks forward to a day which it will no longer stand. What will are the people inside. Therefore, the people's hearts and souls are *more* important than the building.

So, why is it that churches raise millions of dollars for building campaigns and are cutting back on missionary support?

church

I am struck with the reality that church has become a place to show up with your Sunday best. The gathering that happens on Sunday mornings seems to be a time to put on your happiest face, no matter what you are going through; dress your best; smile your biggest and guilt yourself because you're just not good enough.

I guess I think about the fact that Jesus came for the sick and broken and even though the sick and the broken attend church, they don't want to be seen as sick and broken. So people do their best to cover that up and hope no one realizes that they are hurting, alone, broken vessels.

Shouldn't Sundays be a time to come together and be real? Shouldn't we walk in with the need of Christ to fill us, to heal the pain, to bind the broken? Shouldn't tears and tissues be a commonplace instead of the stiff upper lip?

When did church become the time to put on the show? When did it become the place to hide? Why do we pretend we are perfect when really we are a mess? Why do we pretend to be well when we are sick? Why do we smile when we want to cry?

Sad really.

legalism vs discipline

Legalism, is essentially placing too much emphasis on the law, codes of conduct, rules & regulations. Often this leads to pride, superficiality, absence of mercy, and a lack of emphasis on God's grace. The letter of the law is highly esteemed instead of the spirit of the law. Legalism claims that obedience to the law is the way to salvation instead of believing that God's grace and the shedding of Christ's blood redeems us.

We should never seek to read the Bible or pray to God with the motivation that we will be more spiritual than the next person. Too often, we compare ourselves with one another and convince ourselves that certain activities will raise us to a higher level of spirituality. We must banish those thoughts from our mind and cling to the desire to know and love God above all else.

On the other hand, there are times in our spiritual walk that we find ourselves without that desire. We find ourselves complacent and lacking in the want to. There are times in which we must choose to be disciplined. We must choose to seek God even though the feelings of "want-to" may not exist. However the motivation is similar, the desire to know God instead of the desire to be seen as better than others.

A spiritual discipline is considered a practice which helps to cultivate spirituality. There are many spiritual disciplines: fasting, silence, solitude, prayer, meditation, and the list goes on.

I guess it all comes back to the position of the heart and the motivation behind the action. We can go back to the idea of the Do To Be Tree and understand that the motivation was to "be" something as a result of the action a person took. God wants us to take action because we already are; we are His children and that alone should motivate us to desire or discipline. But the fact that we are God's children should never lead us to legalism.

do to be tree

The ideas brought up yesterday at church are still rolling around in my head. So this morning, I started my day by reading some of the notes and verses presented yesterday.

The conversation between Eve and Satan in Genesis was one of blatant lies as well as twisting of words.

God had given them freedom of what to eat with the exception of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The consequence of eating from that particular tree, "you shall surely die." (Gen 3:16-17) But when Satan began to question Eve, he focused on the restrictions instead of the freedom. "You shall not eat from any tree of the garden?" He had already begun to twist things to bring the focus on the restrictions and rules. (Gen 3: 1)

Eve was evidently confused at the point in which she responded with the explanation that they could not only not eat the fruit from that particular tree, but also they could not touch it. Where did she get that from? Was that something Adam had told her to keep her away from it altogether?

Satan blatantly lies, saying "You shall surely not die!" He explains that "her eyes will be opened and she will be like God, knowing good and evil." The latter statement had some truth in it since even God stated that Adam and Eve had become "like us" in Genesis 3:22.

These last words of Satan have a deeper meaning. He speaks of eating the fruit, as a means of achieving a state of being. "When you eat from it (DO), you will BE like God." He suggests an action on Eve's part, that by her doing something, she will achieve a particular state of being. DO in order to BE.

This is completely opposite of the gospel. The Bible teaches us that Christ paid the price to make us clean and whole. The action, the doing, has been done and not by us but by Christ. We are to receive what has been done and walk in that. There is nothing we can "do" in order to be more righteous or more whole in God's eyes.

The DO to BE tree existed in the Garden of Eden so many years ago. But, in reality it exists even today. How many things do we choose to DO thinking that they will help us achieve a certain state of being? that by doing, we will obtain more favor? That by doing we will be something more than we are in God's eyes?

Is your doing a product of who you are or are doing to become something you're not?

sunday morning

This mornings sermon was all about legalism. Unfortunately it hits close to home for me after living in Peru and even dealing with some American churches.

All too often, we lose the perspective of the Biblical standards and begin to create our own standards. I really liked the explanation that the pastor gave of that this morning. Legalism comes from UNBELIEF. As in, one does not trust God enough, so one creates rules to not need to trust God. Interesting and I think, all too true.

When we remember that there really is nothing we can do to earn God's favor and no rules we can place on others to measure them up as spiritual or not, it does sort of bring things back to Christ living through us. You know, the whole point of Christianity?

Something hit me though, churches are defined by their rules and regulations. Denominations are defined by the way they do things or the things they find acceptable or not acceptable. Christians are known or are supposed to be known by their love for one another and their love for God. Unfortunately many Christians are instead known by their own personal rules & regulations or those they enforce with the people around them. Infrequently do we truly find people that serve Christ and others because that is what truly springs from their heart. What are you defined by? Are you defined by Christ or by the rules you claim to follow?

Anyway, there are some things I want to touch on further, such as the difference between legalism & discipline; the Do-To-Be Tree; Jesus + something = idolatry; legalism as I have seen it in Peru & the US. Those are all for a later time.

hurting

This morning, I was contemplating the honesty of stating that I am not doing well. Emotionally and spiritually, I am empty. Not just at zero empty, but like in the red empty. Less than zero empty. I am hurting. Someone prayed for me yesterday that the resentment and bitterness that have taken root would be removed. Already taken root.

I guess what I began to contemplate was that if I had a physical problem, things may be different. It would be easier to say, "I have _____ and am returning to the states to get well." No one would think that was bad, no one would really question it. But instead, things have not been easy here. I have seen and heard things that have been hard, that have caused a lot of mistrust in me, a lot of hurt in me. And instead of saying, come home, we want to help...the very ones that "sent" me seem to have turned their back.

So, somehow you realize that physical pain is so much more acceptable than emotional pain. And if I am emotionally hurting, somehow people see me as "less than." I wish that were different.

If I could help churches and church leaders understand something, it would be that when a missionary returns from the field wounded, that does NOT make them disposable. Don't turn your back. Don't turn your face. Look them in the eyes and say that you will be there for them. And mean it.

Unfortunately, I have watch too many be hurt not just on the mission field, but at times more so when they return. Why is that? Why would people send missionaries out to serve, evangelize, disciple, etc and then when they return act as though they are the enemy?

Anyway, my heart hurts for myself and many others who desire or desired to return to open arms only to find a closed door.