Missional

I recently listened to a guy by the name of Mike Frost talk about church. He is an Australian guy and had some very good things to say, i highly recommend trying to find some things of his to listen to. Anyway he was talking about God being a MISSIONAL God. He believes that God has been and always will be a missional God--all about SENDING.

so i checked out what the oxford american dictionary had to say about this word and the origin of the word mission comes from the mid 16th century denoting the SENDING of the Holy Spirt into the world.

So if you read Scripture you'll find that from Genesis through Revelations you'll find God CONSTANTLY SENDING people out to do "mission". Which was essentially to proclaim His glory and bring others to Him. The most popular verse that most all Christians know is Matthew 28:19-20 which is the great coMISSION. In this verse Jesus says to his disciples

"All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Therefore GO OUT and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything i have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

So, like my buddy Mike Frost, i began to wonder what the heck we are doing by doing everyhing in power to get people to COME into church. BRING your coworkers TO church, BRING your family TO church, BRING your friends TO church.

we have recreated the Old Testament temple experience...where God was only found in the temple. Now, you'd never probably hear a pastor say that exactly but THAT'S WHAT WE ARE TEACHING by our programs , by our messages, by our large buildings, our flashly lights, our best music, our comfy chairs, our finest clothes, and whatever else. We have this feeling that if we aren't bringing people to church or we aren't involved in some type of "ministry" within the church than we aren't doing anything.

i think that if Jesus were to come to your church, HE'D MAKE A HORRIBLE MEMBER. He would never be there!! He would be out with people that desperatly need him! he wouldn't be at all the classes, the small groups, the worship practices, the board meetings. He'd be GOING OUT into the world because he knows that

DOING CHURCH ISN'T THE POINT

The point is following Him and being like Him by loving Him and surrendering all we are to Him.

He had his 12 friends that were with Him all the time, but most of the time they were OUT doing something or GOING somwhere else to teach and proclaim the Good News.

I need people around me to encourage me and build me up, whether that be once a week, twice a week, whatever and WHEREVER. Because i know that isn't the point, it's great and i need it but the point is for me to be with those at school, at One World, at Eli's, wherever that's OUT in the world.

So where did we go wrong? I mean some of you probably don't think we've gone wrong...but are we not going against the character of God by "doing" church the way we are now. Maybe we should start by NOT "doing" church and start LIVING. Scrap all the programs and everything.

And do what? i don't know...i am confused now more than ever. But my relationship with God is better than ever because i'm having to THINK and WRESTLE with the Scriptures and who Jesus was so i can be more like him. thankfully i've found others who are on this same journey and if you're reading this and you've never understood either or maybe you never even thought about it than you're not alone!

What do all of you think? Think with me i want to know your thoughts!!