The Incarnation is about God’s presence on earth. God became a man. He got close to us. He did not stay up in heaven watching from a distance. He “made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness” (Phil 2:7). God came near.
Being a missionary in America is about submission to the King. Christians do not have a mission of their own. As kingdom citizens, every believer’s mission is the same.
In reading through Luke 9-10 yesterday morning, I was struck by the times that Jesus says, “Go.” I remembered, of course, that Jesus’ last instructions before leaving earth included “Go and make disciples of all nations.”
After dinner last night, my friend, Randy Vandermey, shared the following quote. It was a charge given by Alcuin of York (735-804) to monastic novices during the reign of Charlemagne.
According to Tom Clegg and Warren Bird in their new book Missing in America
My friend and colleague, Bob Rasmussen, has posted this question on the Missions Fest Seattle website.
Jesus did not start a religion; He started a movement of spiritually transformed people on mission with Him. To better understand this movement from a historical perspective as well as its expression in the twenty-first century, Alan Hirsch’s
Bill Easum says, “Church members who see their church as the focus of their mission have missed the entire point of Christianity.”
Is the Church in America transforming lives and communities? The answer is sadly, “No.” “Rather than occupying a central and influential place, North American Christian churches are increasingly marginalized, so much so that in our urban areas they represent a minority movement.”
One common excuse that Christians offer for not engaging in missional activity that results in starting new churches is a concern for church health.
