Episode 107 - 5 Missionary Concepts Every Disciple Needs to Embrace

Feb 18, 2020

You can find show notes for this episode at https://transformingmission.org/107

God is a missionary God. 

You may not think about God in that way. 

Today, you’re invited not only to think about God as a missionary God but to follow Jesus into the mission field...where you live, work, and play.

The mission of God sets the foundation for everything you’ll hear in today’s episode. Stated simply, the missio Dei, or mission of God, reminds us that God is a missionary God.

God is the initiator of mission. Think of it this way. God the Father sends his Son, Jesus into the world. Then, God the Father and Jesus, the Son sending the Spirit into the world. And, finally, 

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit send the church, the body of Christ, into the world.

Sending is a part of who God is and what God does. Guess what that makes you? A missionary. Before you say, “What?! I’m not a missionary.” Stick with us, we’ll guide you through five ways you need to be a missionary today. 

Here’s another way to think about God’s mission: There is a church because of God’s mission. Notice that does not say, “There is a mission because there is a church.” The church is an instrument of God’s mission.

Let’s unlock five missionary concepts you can (and need to) embrace today.

5 Key Concepts

With this foundation in place, here are the five key concepts you’ll explore as they relate to mission. 

• Commitment to the kingdom of God
• Living as sent people
• Contextualization
• Incarnation
• Relationships

These concepts are interrelated and essential to following Jesus every day. As you listen, explore the questions offered to help guide you in practicing what you’re hearing. 

Change

You don’t need us to remind you that a lot of things are changing in the world. The purpose and foundation of who we are as followers of Jesus have not changed. 

But, our expectations about how people participate in following Jesus need to take on a missionary perspective. If you’re thinking, “they need to?” Yes, and here’s why.

If you’ve ever found yourself saying, “What can we do to get people into the church?” know that question is often a mask for scarcity thinking. Sometimes it can sound like this:

• We need more people…
• It used to be…
• When I was a youth...
• We don’t have the resources…
• We no longer have the capacity…

Ask a Different Question

Instead start asking, “Where is God sending me this week?” It might be to the grocery store, the drop off line at school, or a doctor’s office. You do not have to go overseas or out of town to be a missionary. In fact, this episode will help you see why the mission field right outside your door is the best place to start following Jesus. 

 

Your Next Step

What might happen if you took these big ideas and embraced following Jesus every day? If you’d like help getting started with these practices, join us inside the private Following Jesus Every Day Facebook Group. 

• Every Sunday, inside our private Facebook Group, we post a series of Scriptures for the week. The scriptures follow a simple pattern of reading, reflecting, responding, and returning to God. This four-fold process helps lead you to transformation. 
• Each Friday, you’re invited to consider how you’re Trusting, Grateful, Inspired, and practicing our Faith. 
• Each Saturday, you’re invited to name where you experienced or witnessed God’s presence throughout the week. 
• In between, we do our best to remind you: No matter who you are or what you’ve done, God loves you.

JOIN the PRIVATE FACEBOOK GROUP

Explore our most recent devotional series, It Takes Courage, and practice following Jesus every day where you live, work, and play.