Let's Do Your Mission

Give thanks to the LORD and proclaim His greatness.
Let the whole world know what He has done.
Sing to him; yes sing His praises.
Tell everyone about His miracles.
Exult in His holy name;
O worshipers of the LORD, rejoice!
Search for the LORD and for His strength,
and keep on searching.

Ps. 105:1-4

In the previous posts share the Document I wrote beginning two winters ago.  It was good for a purpose; mostly my own to try and understand what God was doing and therefore what He wanted to do moving forward.  As I wrote in Missional Community: My Story, last December after months of praying God introduced me Soma (a Missional Community organization) on Christmas Day as a gift.  Here is Ben Joyce's vision document explaining Soma in the San Francisco area.  You will find it highlights more or less the same things I had been writing about.  Here are some key words and definitions they used in their document:

- "Identity"  So we see ourselves as missionaries, our homes as missionary outposts, and our neighborhoods and workplaces as the mission field to which we are sent. (pg. 6) 
- "Family"  God has always desired a people, an earthly family, who would live in such a way that the world would know what he is like (pg. 8) 
- "Discipleship"  As disciples who make disciples, we take responsibility for our own development and the development of others. (pg. 9) 

Implementation 

There was a page seven to the document I had written and I had just barely started on it:

Would you pray for these steps of implementation?

A. Prayer for God to bring out those willing workers 
B. Knitting together with the experienced in disciple making: what each part supplies 
C. Knitting together with those who are newer to disciple making: what each part needs 
D. Corporate prayer in faith for divine appointments with the lost in Salem


That's all I wrote.  Since December I have been in the stage of implementation.  My vision has been to find people who are experienced at making disciples who can help me, and/or people who want to learn how to make disciples, in the space of the context of their own neighborhoods.  But that's not all.

Something else has been developing in my mind.  Something even bigger than the Document.  I'm not done here; I'm aiming even higher.

Now I'm looking for people who might listen to the Holy Spirit with me and pray for the purpose of releasing our community in a fervent interest to experience God's powerful plans for their own life.  In one word, "release."  To me, anymore, it's not enough that God has released me to achieve my own vision of His will on earth as it is in Heaven.  Now I want to see your vision come to fruition through the power of God and through listening to His Spirit's voice and obeying it.  Remember the vision that I have?  It was "God was telling me that He was pleased that I wanted to make more disciples, but He showed me that I didn't have enough time for one more person.  He was showing me that what I needed to reproduce was not more disciples, but myself - I needed to reproduce disciple makers." But that's too small a perspective.  I don't want people following the vision God has given me.  It's not ultimately helpful for my own spiritual growth or theirs.

Let me explain to you where I am lopsided and weak.

In this simple diagram Mike Breen of 3DM (another Missional Community organization) depicts three components to spiritual health and growth.  There is the "Up" component.  Some churches, some individual Christians are really good at doing "up" - they have their devotions of God and they spend quality time connecting with God and being filled with His presence and purposes.  There is the "In" component.  Some churches and individuals are really good at doing "In" - when it comes to relationships inside the church with other believers, they invest deeply in them to receive and bless one another and grow in their appreciation of God through fellowship and unity.  Lastly there is the "Out" component.  Some churches and individuals are really good at experiencing deep connection with God through reaching out to people who are not yet God's, to revere Him at work in the lives of those outside the community of God.

Some churches/people are really good at say, "Up" and "In," but really struggle at "Out."  Or they could be really good at doing both "Out" toward the world and "In" toward each other but don't spend time focusing and gaining strength in time directed purely at God alone.

Me?  I am all "Up" and "Out."  :)  My relationship with the Father gives me fulfillment in His activity in the World.  I have been this way for years.  I believe the Document was a way to try and seed my own determination to develop "In."  It takes a lot of concentration because my values are pretty entrenched.

For example.  Just last weekend I had the opportunity to go on a camping trip to have fellowship with a bunch of Christians who I admire.  But at the same time I had just been getting to know a neighbor on my street who has the most amazing story.  This guy finds out he has a son, just 11 months ago and the mother gives him sole custody.  He's never been a father before and the boy came from a neglectful background.  The same weekend as the camping trip is the boy's birthday.  The father admits to me, "Gosh, I have to throw a birthday party for him."  He's never done it before!  And this man says none of the neighbors have even talked to him till us.  He hasn't talked to another adult in two months!

My usual way of thinking goes like this: "How in the world am I supposed to laugh and have fun with Christians when this neighbor has a real need?"  "I would always choose the lost over time with Christians," I think to myself.  I wonder at seeing my values in living color, right before my eyes!  It's not even a pride thing - I don't think I'm going to save the world.  It's so much simpler than that.  I just don't feel good when I know someone is genuinely hurting and I'm off having a grand time.  It's like the 99 and the 1 that was lost.  My heart screams, "go."  But at some point I have to trust God, (right?) with the "Out" and make some more space for "In" time, or it will never happen.  So by faith, I can do that.  I can trust God with a little less "Out" to make some "In."  :)  So, I'm learning.

So - please help me by being "In" in my world, by rubbing off on me.  I'm a stubborn learner.

Here is another diagram by Breen.  The goal is to get Christians out of the Bored, Stressed or Cozy/Lazy quadrants and into the upper right hand corner, the Empowered component.  Breen calls this "Low Control, High Responsibility."  Another name for the Empowered quadrant is, "Release".

What I Believe

My mentors taught me, and I am 100% convinced, that everybody has a seat at the table.  Your story? That's your seat.  All you or I have to do in order to see God at work is show up with our story.  What is your story?  Your story is what your passions are and what has become broken along the way.  Perhaps you hunger and thirst for righteousness in the land.  Perhaps your passion is to care for the marginalized.  I don't know what God has put in your heart.  But God came and opened up His teaching on what the Kingdom of God was like and identified His mission with YOUR MISSION, YOUR battles for what is good on earth; Matt 5:1-10,

And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.  Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

He didn't ask for a creed or a confession of faith in God as the ticket to participate.  He asked YOU about YOUR STORY.  There was something of God put in man - which is that we are made in His image, and He came to redeem what was marred and twisted and set it straight through blessing which comes through following the Son of God.

What's your story?  What happened to you?  That's where God wants to enter in and I want to watch it happen.  Before I can help you with your mission, I need to know your vision of God's will.  I want to walk in to the good works that you were set aside to do.  Most of all I want to do this together.  I want to pray for you and pray with you.  So much bigger than the vision of one person is many visionaries mutually releasing one another.

How do you find yourself on these diagrams?  I want to know!

I'm in the "Bored" and "Stressed" quadrants and I'm believing that making room for more "In" will increase the "Invitation" I am seeking.

I believe we all hear the Holy Spirit speak to us in different ways.  How does He speak to you?  I am curious to learn this.  I hear Him most clearly through hearing people's stories and considering the legitimacy of what God has put in their heart as they bring to bear their story on God's community.  But I am hearing in only one sort of way and I'm convinced I would hear God in a more fully rounded way if you would share what God is saying to you especially in the way that He confirms things in your life.   I need to learn the different ways of hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit.

I crave "In" - time with Christians - right now.

I don't even care about my vision anymore.  I'm interested in yours.  I want to do your vision.  I'm looking for a few people who want to come together and begin to pray and share what God might be saying to them.  I want to pray together at least once a week.  Maybe meet twice a week.  I have dear Christian friends who I share fellowship with regularly, and I am inviting them now for the space of specific prayer time for this purpose.  Want to??  Let's talk!



In this video Jeff Vanderstelt, the creator of Soma confirms my Document (wow!) with the theme of Identity ("the draw of this ministry is YOU with CHRIST") and the Epistle of Ephesians in what I feel is the best explanation on video yet of the missional movement.