Missional

I don't believe morality can be dictated to anyone by government coercion or bias lobbying. Abortion will end when Christians STOP yelling at the supreme court and START loving teenage mothers. Homosexuality will end when dads become fathers and jocks stop bullying the tenors. If there is sin in our nation, whose fault is it? It is the church's fault! It is MY fault.

Recently, I have been listening to some sermons about being missional. For the purpose of this blog, I will describe missional with one sentence. Evangelism is not about preaching the gospel, but about reaching out to other's with the love of Christ.

I have some insight into why this new style of outreach is both helpful and detrimental. I will list the positives and the negatives.

POSITIVES:
1. Loving someone in the midst of their unique struggle is exactly what Jesus did. God spoke to the Samaritan at the well with concepts she understood. If Jesus would have given her a lecture in Torah law, the Samaritan would be at a loss.

2. Every person has a unique make-up. A blank statement like "Jesus loves you, He even died for you" will be perceived in various forms. By building a relationship with someone, before you start preaching to them, you will have a better understanding of their perceptions and needs.

3. Some people view the Bible as archaic. It is troubling that many view the scriptures as irrelevant. The scriptures are not archaic, in fact, they are extremely relevant. But, if you approach a stranger with the gospel, they may just tune you out automatically.

NEGATIVES
1. Those who want to be missional are ashamed of the gospel. They think scriptures are ineffective, and this is a lie.
2. Christians who become missional often lack moral convictions.
3. Missional Christians downplay the authority of the organized church. They see no need for elders or deacons...the Bible is clear these offices are mandated.

I am still debating with myself on what my convictions actually are. Do I want to be missional or a scholar of God's word.