But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:33)
Jesus understood the temptation of people to mistake the gift for the giver … to spend their time and energy going after the fruit, rather than seeking to be grounded in God and rooted in Christ. As He spoke the above words during His “Sermon on the Mount,” He was redirecting His hearers to what was the right focus for their time, attention and efforts. He understood that if they had their heart set on God and His righteousness – seeking to glorify Him, rather than self – then God would grant them the other things that they mistakenly thought were the main thing.
I believe that the same redirection is valuable for the Church. Congregations can become so focused on achieving things that represent the fruit of a healthy ministry, but miss what it is that actually creates that fruit in a church. It is true that a healthy church grows in attendance and giving – but focusing efforts on attendance and giving is not what increases those things. Rather, a church that has a heart set on God’s Kingdom and His righteousness is one that in fact God is pleased to grant growth and resources to. It’s all about what you’re aiming at.
And so in 2016, Redeemer has determined to be a “church family joining Christ in our community.” This is a noble vision, and will certainly require us to be on mission in our neighborhoods. It is good for a congregation to desire to join Jesus on His mission. However, there is a danger; we can become content with doing things that are “mission-like” without actually being “missional.” I would like to share with you three questions that I recently came across[i]. They are great questions for us to ask of our activities as a congregation and as an individual. These are questions that distinguish being authentically missional from being mission-like.
- Is the center on God or on the church? We can often ask questions and engage in actions that are church-centered, rather than God-centered. For example, the questions are “institution” focused and have more to do with what the church is doing rather than what God is doing. This may seem like semantics, but it is more than that. We run the risk of just being “mission-like” if we are thinking more about the church and what the church is doing for others. We end up having the “shape” of mission rather than actually doing Christ’s mission. To be truly missional, we should be focusing on God and what God is doing in the world around us. When we encounter people are we trying to get them to look at US (or our church) or to look to God for their deepest needs?
- Is the focus on activities or identity? If our focus is church-centered we will see our attention and discussion being about programs, events, trips and other activities on the church calendar – they are things that we can do with the good intention of mission … but end up only being mission-like. The danger with having a mission-like focus is that we can simply add new “programs” without actually affecting our lifestyle. To be missional means that we must embrace a whole new focus to our lifestyle… one that is centered on our identity as children of God, seeking to welcome others into a relationship with God – not just attend activities.
- Is the connection to neighbors transactional or relational? How do we interact with our neighbors? If we see ourselves as an organization coming to our neighbors and doing something TO them, and providing a service or resources FOR them in order to meet needs, then our interactions are “transactional.” The church is remaining in control, deciding who is in need and what is needed and how the need will be met. Without realizing it, we can actually build a wall, of sorts, between us and the very people we seek to reach. We subtly believe, and convey to them, that there is an us-them barrier. They come to us for a good or service and then return to their world, while we remain in ours after the transaction is complete. This is mission-like. A better way to join Jesus on His mission is to see that God is already at work in the lives of the real people around us, and they have much to offer. Being “relational” means that we seek mutually transformative relationships of partnership and reciprocity.
What these questions really ask us is whether we are seeking first God’s Kingdom and His righteousness … or if we are seeking “all these things” in other ways. They ask us to consider whether we have God’s Kingdom at heart or self-glorification (or self-preservation). It is easy for you and me to want to get busy with activity that helps us feel like we are making a difference, and seeing ourselves as a kind of “hero” coming to rescue and serving the needs of others. But if we are not careful, then we are making everything about us, and what we do for others than about God. It can be easier to be mission-like, than to be truly on mission.
May others encounter the heart of God in all that we think, say and do!
Joining Jesus on His mission with you,
Pastor Augie.
[i] http://joineiro.com/blog/2015/9/28/5-questions-to-determine-if-you-are-missional-or-mission-ish?fb_action_ids=1101778946500803&fb_action_types=og.likes
Pastor Augie's Blog 