What does it mean to be Missional ?

The term missional is an adjective that describes the fact that a church totally aligns itself with the missio Dei ( the mission of God). Christ Jesus prayed to the Father, “As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world,” (John 17.18). This truth reveals that the church is to be missional, on mission, acting as “sent ones” in this world. The church is formed to continue the mission that began in the heart of the Father, was seen in the life of the Son, and is to continue in the Spirit empowered endeavors of the church. The basic premise of the missional church is that “missions” is not an organization or program of a church. Missions constitute the very essence or nature of the church.

This blog will be dedicated to leading all of us who engage in this conversation to find ways to be missional in New Orleans or where God has placed us. I will publish suggestions for missional activites on a regular basis as well as food for thought that is designed to make us become missional. It is my hope that my thoughts and suggestions will serve as a motivation for all of us to be about missio Dei .

Monday, December 8, 2014

Living in Hope

 

Come Lord Jesus, Come.

The Christian lives in the Hope. Paperback cover of Esperanto edition of We look to tomorrow with confidence, even absurd confidence. As the White Queen told Alice, "Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." There is an exuberance in the Christian Life, an exaltation which passes logic. Why? Because we belong to Christ.

Listen to Leo Tolstoy:

· I believe in God, who is for me spirit, love, the principle of all things.

· I believe that God is in me, as I am in Him.

· I believe that the true welfare of man consists in fulfilling the will of God.

· I believe that from the fulfillment of the will of God there can follow nothing but that which is good for me and for all men.

· I believe that the will of God is that every man should love his fellow men, and should act toward others as he desires that they should act toward him.

· I believe that the reason of life is for each of us simply to grow in love.

· I believe that this growth in love will contribute more than any other force to establish the Kingdom of God on earth

Lord help each of us to be people of belief. In belief we can find meaning and purpose which inspire us to be people who can make a difference. Let us use our belief for the betterment all we touch. Amen

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Adversity and Grace

Abba Isaiah said 'When God wishes to take pity on a soul and it rebels not bearing anything and doing its own will, he then allows it to suffer that which it does not want, in order that it may seek him again.'

-----sayings of the desert

Desert SageThese particular words of wisdom are not the most popular or believed ones that we are given by the fathers. All of us have seen people who seem to sin abundantly and continue to thrive. Likewise, we have all seen people who are apparently very pious who experience much suffering. Perhaps I might suggest another way of looking at this difficult dilemma.

God created us for good. He created us to be productive, and we are the crown of His creation. God is our guardian, and He watches over us and gives us grace. Through Him we prosper and achieve. There are times in our lives, no matter how pious we appear, that we reject His grace. At times we stand up and say, I want to do this my way, and God gives us the free will to do so. These times often lead to adversity, and in adversity we turn to God knowing that He is our only hope. Not only is He our only hope, He still loves us even when we have been rebellious and stubborn. The message from the desert is that God sometimes draws us to Himself by adversary.

Prayer Thought

Lord help me to see You at work in my bad times. Allow me to surrender myself to your grace so that I might experience your full love.

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