Missional Living at its core is living as a missionary in whatever context God has placed you. It is adopting the posture, thinking, behaviors, and practices of a missionary in order to engage others with the gospel. This involves understanding the culture, language, and background of the people you are trying to reach and meeting them where they are with the gospel of Jesus. Below are three steps to help get you on the right track…
A. Assess
Do I know the gospel?
- Jesus Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:1-8; 2 Corinthians 5:14-15; Ephesians 2:1-10)
Do I understand the big picture of Scripture?
- Creation – God Creates (Gen. 1-2)
- Fall – Man Rebels (Gen. 3)
- Redemption – Jesus Comes (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Epistles)
- Restoration – Jesus Returns (Revelation 19-22)
Do I understand the call to live on mission with God? (Matt. 28:19; Mark 6:7; Luke 10:1; John 20:21; Acts 1:8)
Do I have a heart for those who do not know Jesus?
B. Analyze
Do I know anyone who is not a Christian?
Who am I praying for now who is not a Christian?
When was the last time I had coffee or dinner with someone who is not a Christian?
C. Apply
Redeeming Relationships – God has divinely wired, placed, and called all of us to redeem the relationships all around us…
- In our neighborhood
- In our workplace
- In our social network
- In our gym
- In our coffee shops
This means that we don’t just see our job as a way to make money, not that making money is bad, but that we see our job as a place where we can redeem relationships through intentional conversations that point others to Jesus.
This means that we don’t just see our neighborhood as a place to live and raise our kids, not that having a place to live and raising kids is bad, but that we see our neighborhood as a place were we can redeem relationships through intentional conversations that point others to Jesus.
This means that we don’t just see the gym as a place to get jacked, not that getting jacked is bad, but that we see our gym as a place where we can redeem relationships through intentional conversations that point others to Jesus. You get the idea… every area of our life provides an opportunity to redeem the relationships around us for the glory of God by living on mission.
Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean that we are taking people through the 4 laws, the bridge illustration, and tracks in between sets on the bench press or the treadmill. It could in some cases, but in general it means that we take advantage of divine appointments with the people around us and point them to Jesus. This is the heart of missional living. Stay tuned for some practical steps in Missional Living Part 2.