I need to come clean. I have an addiction. I'm addicted to seeing lives transformed by the gospel through people giving, serving, and participating in the Church.
But as an addict, I just always want more.
I think there are two ways we as a individuals and as a church family can see more and more and more of this kind of thing happen in peoples lives around New Hope.
BE INTENTIONALLY INCARNATIONAL
It's kind of a funny word; incarnational. Sounds strange at least. But it simply means to 'take on flesh', and it refers to what Jesus did when He came from heaven to live the life we could not live, die the death we should have died, so that He could give us the gift we could never otherwise earn.
He entered into our world, He did not just call from heaven, or send a postcard through Carrier Pigeon, He came to our world. He entered in to our mess, He took on our weakness, and He did not shy away from our sin, our messiness, or our stubbornness.
And we are called to do the same to the broken world around us. Not just place a postcard in the door and run, but enter in to the lives of our neighbors, stand up and face the messiness of our coworkers, endure the hardship of some of our extended family. Jesus did not just stand at the corner of heaven and shout 'Come on Up here and see how much better things are', he came to your street corner and showed you how much better life in and with Him is.
And that is our call. To enter in. To stop shying away, and care enough to climb in to the messiness with the people around us.
Paul says in Acts 17 that you live where you live and work where you work and know who you know, so that others may see God's work and transformation in your life and seek God themselves.
But it's going to require us to be intentional. Incarnation does not happen by accident.
Remeber you may be the only Jesus some people will ever see, so be Incarnational.
BE METHODICALLY MISSIONAL
We love Missionaries. They kind of seem like the super heroes of our Church world.
Most leave everything behind and head off for some dangerous foreign country to boldly proclaim what most of us wouldn't be able to talk to ourselves about. They learn new languages, study strange cultures, and sacrifice much.
The problem with seeing Missionaries as heroes who are far and above us, is that we're all called to be Missionaries. We're all called to be Ministers of Reconciliation. Only some of us aren't sent to Africa or China, but rather to Pasadena, Curtis Bay or Glen Burnie. But we often fail to recognize that we are there as much for the good of those cities and their people as we are for our own good.
We're meant to take our mission seriously. Our mission to Connect people to God & each other, by making disciples.
When Jesus said 'Go, make disciples of all nations', He meant our neighborhoods as much as he meant Greenwich. He meant our cities as much as He meant Beijing. He meant our nation as much as He meant Haiti.
I think we could see some real growth, individual and as a church, if we started being Methodically Missional, like the missionaries who travel abroad.
They study the cultural where they are entering into, they learn the language, they get to know the people.
More importantly, they study what that cultures stumbling blocks to the gospel are. The Gospel is multi-faceted for a reason, because it can be applied to anyone, anywhere at anytime, but we need to be aware of who we are applying it to, where it is being applied, and in what context.
Again being missional does not happen by accident.
If we are going to see lives changed, and hearts transformed around here at New Hope, it is going to take much more than a well organized staff, and good music, and engaging preaching. It's even going to take more than good marketing, or silly blogs. It's going to take the power of God working through the faithfulness & willingness of His people to step out and take the Gospel to the world.
Let us strive to be disciples of Jesus who are intentionally incarnational and methodically missional.
