Words that shape us...

Missional   Evangelical   Worship

Quite often in church-talk, the word 'mission' is used to refer to something a few people might do, usually overseas. We believe all followers of Jesus are called to be on mission all the time - we are called to live mission, if you like.

When you read the Bible, you discover that God is a missionary God - he came to us, he revealed himself to us...he desires all things and all people to be reconciled to himself, and he takes the initiative in making this happen. The church is rooted in this concept of missio dei, or, the mission of God. We best see the mission of God in the person of Jesus Christ. John 3:16 tells us that "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

Being followers of Jesus, we are drawn into God's mission...we are called to be active participants...to live out God's ongoing mission. We are called to live like Jesus, living right where God has placed us as missionaries, remaining faithful to God and to his message, fulfilling the mission of God. Being missional understands that just as God took on flesh and came to live amongst us, so too is the church to live out the message of Jesus...we are, if you like, to flesh out who Jesus is.

Someone once said, “mission is not about going, nor is mission primarily about doing anything. Mission is about being…. about being a distinctive kind of people, a counter-cultural, multinational community among the nations”. That's our hope..our desire..our prayer - that with God's help, we could be that sort of people. We're not saying we're there, but that's where we want to go.