Last week we talked about mission. We learned from passages in Luke that disciples of Christ are sent just like Jesus was sent, to bring good news to the poor and healing to the brokenhearted. We learned that God is a sending God: he sent the prophets, he sent Jesus, and now he sends us to be the body of Jesus in the world (since Jesus is risen bodily from the dead and now lives at the right hand of God). As such, our identity as Christians, as disciples of Jesus, is wrapped up in the fact that we are sent, always on mission, never really at ease (in the military sense).
We are a particular people pulsating with the purpose that only comes from such a mission, the missio Dei, the very mission of God on earth.
So what does this mean for the nuance group?
On Sunday I proposed several aspects of a new(ish) focus and direction for our group. I think our group is special - extraordinary, even. I have never, ever, experienced the level of encouragement and inspiration that I experience every Sunday night with the nu.crew. As such, I am utterly committed to the idea that if this tiny community of believers is so beneficial and powerful in my life, then it has the unique potential to be the same source of strength for others, and to make a true difference in the city of Burlington and even the world.
The challenge is to begin to focus and identify our group in light of this potential; the challenge is to focus ourselves on mission, so that we do not just gather as a “monastic” community but scatter as a missional people, reaching the poor and brokenhearted in our everyday lives.
I presented two aspects to this challenge:
1st Aspect - missional action. This has to do with living the gospel through philanthropic action - deeds that show a general love of mankind, neighbor-love inspired in us by the love of Jesus and the leading of the Spirit. We know that this was a central aspect of Jesus’ mission – he was a healer of the diseased, a deliverer of the oppressed, a giver to the poor, a doer of kindness to all people (even enemies). This type of action is nothing less than allowing Jesus to live through us in the world, doing the will of God and building his kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. Further, this is how we portray the gospel before we necessarily preach it – because in postmodern society, the deed carries much greater power than the word. Here’s how we can begin to meet this challenge:
- Identify one or two global causes that we can rally around as a group and support on a regular basis. Suggestions: Daniel’s orphanage in Haiti, the ONE campaign, Compassion International, World Relief, etc.
- Identify one or two local causes that we can rally around as a group and support on a regular basis. Suggestions: Burlington Emergency Shelter, COTS, Burlington Food Shelf, Women Helping Battered Women, Woodside Juvenile Rehab Ctr, etc.
- Focus on relational opportunities to love your neighbor and help those in need. Our budding friendship with some Somali refugees (via the generosity of the elder Hoags) is an example. Giving encouragement or money/food to a homeless person that you meet spontaneously is another example. The leading of the Spirit is most prevalent here, and the results are oftentimes the most powerful, the possibilities, literally, endless.
2nd Aspect - missional living. There is going to be obvious overlap between these two aspects, but for the sake of categorizing, this mainly has to do with living and sharing the gospel through everyday relationships, caring, real, relevant relationships in the context of the gifting, identity, and placement that God has given you in the world. These relationships are of course demonstrative of gospel-love and giving, but the defining factor is that these relationships have clear purpose, and that is to introduce one’s neighbor to the love of Jesus Christ and the truth of his gospel message, so that they might be saved from brokenness and death through him. Here’s how we can begin to meet this challenge:
- Pursue deeper relationships with those God has placed in your life in order to care for them and love them in a deeper manner. Invest your time and energy into your unbelieving friends and neighbors - do it because you genuinely care, because you genuinely desire their well-being. These relationships provide a context for a living gospel - you live with your friends as an ambassador for Christ, acting and speaking the truth as you love them for who they are. Think of three friends that you can pursue deeper relationships with in order to better communicate the love of Jesus.
- Look for appropriate opportunities to invite new people into the group. Again, we are blessed by this group, find ourselves encouraged and changed through it, and we ought not underestimate the power of the community of faith. There are many who cannot make sense of God and Jesus and faith on an individualistic level, but when they begin to take part in the community, the word takes on flesh and makes sense to them. So we are incarnational in the sense that we bring Jesus to life in the world both as individuals scattered and as a community gathered. Try to think of one person you could invite to the study this week.
God bless you guys.
