True mission
There has been a bit of a debate on the Urban Army blog about the nature of mission and how we communicate the gospel.
My little contribution can be read in the comments but in essence I believe that true mission involves explaining the gospel clearly, modelling kingdom values in community and being used by the Holy Spirit to demonstrate the Kingdom through works of power.
How does this work out in the everyday?
We run a Kids club in an infant school. It is an up front faith based club, which parents can choose to send their kids to. They go home with a Kid's Alive magazine every week. We offered this to the school declaring that we would talk a lot about Jesus.
In the same school I help to run a parents and carers group in partnership with the Family Liaison Officer who is employed by local schools. This is not a faith based group. It offers time out, friendship and discussions on parenting issues. If I am asked my views I give them from a Christian perspective or my own testimony. It's a 1 Peter 3:15 things,"Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." The funny thing is that the more I pray for my friends there the more opportunities there seem to be to share faith stuff. Am I looking at them as potential citizens of the Kingdom of God? Of course I am. And I am praying for the Holy Spirit to guide me in helping them discover the way in.
Through word of mouth I sometimes get people referred to me for help when counselling hasn't worked and I work on the chaplaincy team at the local prison where I meet young offenders with a myhriad of problems.
Here I am very up front. From the outset I will say I have nothing to offer them except Jesus Christ and the bibical way of doing things. And whether it's been a young prisoner at the YOI or a young mother in distress I have found that sometimes it has been a case of doing what the disciples did on mission. They preached the kingdom of God, drove out demons and healed the sick.
In all these different approaches to mission there must be that agape kind of love. When we are channels of that kind of love I believe people receive something more than humanitarian care and something happens in the spiritual realm. We start to connect with what the Holy Spirit is already doing in a community or in an individual.
Yesterday my husband Alan was driving through our estate to go to our office in town he noticed someone running. Something told him to stop, wait for them to catch up with the car and ask them if they wanted a lift. He had no idea who the guy was and these days it is not always wise to give strangers a lift. As it happened the guy was late for his train and he gratefully accepted the offer, although he was totally surprised by it. I don't know who was more surprised however when Alan introduced himself as local SA officer and the guy replied that his grandad had been an officer and his dad used to be a Salvationist. Methinks God might be up to someting!
God bless
Carol
There has been a bit of a debate on the Urban Army blog about the nature of mission and how we communicate the gospel.
My little contribution can be read in the comments but in essence I believe that true mission involves explaining the gospel clearly, modelling kingdom values in community and being used by the Holy Spirit to demonstrate the Kingdom through works of power.
How does this work out in the everyday?
We run a Kids club in an infant school. It is an up front faith based club, which parents can choose to send their kids to. They go home with a Kid's Alive magazine every week. We offered this to the school declaring that we would talk a lot about Jesus.
In the same school I help to run a parents and carers group in partnership with the Family Liaison Officer who is employed by local schools. This is not a faith based group. It offers time out, friendship and discussions on parenting issues. If I am asked my views I give them from a Christian perspective or my own testimony. It's a 1 Peter 3:15 things,"Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." The funny thing is that the more I pray for my friends there the more opportunities there seem to be to share faith stuff. Am I looking at them as potential citizens of the Kingdom of God? Of course I am. And I am praying for the Holy Spirit to guide me in helping them discover the way in.
Through word of mouth I sometimes get people referred to me for help when counselling hasn't worked and I work on the chaplaincy team at the local prison where I meet young offenders with a myhriad of problems.
Here I am very up front. From the outset I will say I have nothing to offer them except Jesus Christ and the bibical way of doing things. And whether it's been a young prisoner at the YOI or a young mother in distress I have found that sometimes it has been a case of doing what the disciples did on mission. They preached the kingdom of God, drove out demons and healed the sick.
In all these different approaches to mission there must be that agape kind of love. When we are channels of that kind of love I believe people receive something more than humanitarian care and something happens in the spiritual realm. We start to connect with what the Holy Spirit is already doing in a community or in an individual.
Yesterday my husband Alan was driving through our estate to go to our office in town he noticed someone running. Something told him to stop, wait for them to catch up with the car and ask them if they wanted a lift. He had no idea who the guy was and these days it is not always wise to give strangers a lift. As it happened the guy was late for his train and he gratefully accepted the offer, although he was totally surprised by it. I don't know who was more surprised however when Alan introduced himself as local SA officer and the guy replied that his grandad had been an officer and his dad used to be a Salvationist. Methinks God might be up to someting!
God bless
Carol
posted by Rehoboth at
12:49 PM
2 Comments:
God is definitley up to something.
I think what you describe Carol is 'incarnational living!' You and Alan are the 'living word' in North Allerton.
Hallelujah!
God bless you both
By
Andrew Bale, at 11:43 PM
Praise God - our kids club was set up on exactly the same basis - and it is beautiful. Jesus in words and actions all the time
God bless you in your wonderful work.
Matt
Future Fire
By
Matt Clifton, at 3:10 PM
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