God’s mission …
Twelve years ago this month, I arrived on these shores with my family. I arrived tired, excited and wondering as to what the future would bring. What I knew with great certainty was that our lives would change. I don’t think I had a clue as to how much they would change!
Two years ago this month, I came on staff at Long Hill Chapel. I arrived excited and wondering what the future would bring. What I knew with great certainty was that my life would change …
Today I find myself still excited and wondering what the future will bring. Over the past month I have spent a good deal of time reading and studying about what God is doing across His church, and it is very challenging! David G. Dunbar the President of Biblical Seminary quotes an unnamed source who said:
“God’s church does not have a mission in the world; rather, God’s mission has a church in the world!”
He goes on to make the point that
“The life and witness of the church should be thoroughly shaped by its participation in the mission of God …”
Such a statement challenges me to the core. All to easily I am concerned about people connecting to the church, and I am missing the point. Instead the church needs to be connected to the mission of God, it needs to figure out how that happens in its own particular context. There is a real sense of action and participation in this call. I am reminded of the words of Jesus as he preached His Sermon on the Mount
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.”
There on the Mountain, Jesus began the call for us to be different and to make a difference, to be counter cultural and impact the culture.
As I consider this past month of study I find myself excited and wondering what the future will bring, and I am ready for more change!
