The Church - God's Love Gift

The following is a recap of a recent sermon.

So lots and lot of churchy people are using the word ‘missional’ these days. In fact, it has been the buzzword du jour for a while now. On any given day, my Google reader has some blog or site where someone is discussing this topic. Now, I certainly don’t presume to know more than these fine folks who are writing such profound things. But I often have a nagging feeling that many are missing the point.

Missional isn’t so much about what we do…it's who we are. DNA is everything! Missional cannot simply be a word layered on top of the programs we do or another idea tossed around at leader meetings. Instead, it must be systemic, oozing from our pores as the people we are. Being missional changes the rubric through which we measure everything. Indeed, when we are missional and organic in our practices, the small is large. Through a missional lens, we see God in every encounter, and every relationship becomes precious.

If being missional is not systemic, the church can quickly become a place where no one wants to be and where burnout is rampant.

The Church Is a Gift

Foundationally, we are a gift…G-ds love gift to the world. It is not so much that we bring the gift, but we ARE the gift. Collectively, we – this crazy and messed up group of people - somehow gift and bless the world…hopefully! (Genesis 12, Ephesians 3:10)

Gifts Are a Blessing

I have never met anyone who would admit they do not like to receive gifts. Instead, we all love gifts because they are a blessing; they are treats that express care and love. We give gifts hoping they will be loved and cherished and useful. Soooo, if the church is intended to be a blessing to the receiver (world)…we should hope to be helpful and useful and welcome...because we express life. Additionally, a gift blesses the giver. Isn't it so much fun to watch someone open a gift we have lovingly chosen?

So if gifts bless the receiver and the giver...how are we doing? Are we a blessing to the world? Are we a blessing to God? 

As a gift to the world, we should strive to be..

1   Agents of health, restoration and wholeness (Isaiah 61) -  We should extend God's Kingdom in the form of freedom and forgiveness. We know Jesus said this about himself and the early church freely offered these to the world. Read through Acts 9 and see how normative the supernatural was in the lives of these people. It was a matter of course to pray and expect miracles and see freedom. So, what about us? Are we agent so healing? Or do we walk in doubt, fear and unbelief, acting as if bondage is normative and G-d is not very big?

2    A model of new life and community - If Jesus came to give us our lives back…what does that look like? Our communities should be a pretty good picture of a new way of life. Ephesians 5 is a great picture of this, where we see a model of life - where the rubber meets the road Christianity. In this new community, we will live like we get it…like it's all true. We will live worthy and new - completely humble and gently, patient, bearing with one another and no longer live in darkness. We will stop lying and stealing, we wil watch our anger and be useful and give to those in need. We will work to rid ourselves of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, and be kind, compassionate and forgiving to one another.

Paul encourages these things not to be rigid or rules oriented, but to suggest that we want to offer something to people that is bigger and grander than the old way of life.  

Soooo...what do our communities model... lives of love or of bitterness, unforgiveness , jealousy and anger?

3   A place of mission and purpose - We exist for others and not for ourselves. This is a gift to the world because it speaks of a G-d in motion…who is active to redeem and restore. Our reflection of this to the world should bring hope. As they see us as people of purpose it should scream, “This is who G-d is…he purposes to gain you...and we are partnering with him to that end"

This may sound harsh, but I believe that the Church, by and large, has abandoned its mission…and has become impotent to reach a hurting culture. Sadly, we have replaced vital spirit-filled churches with beautiful buildings filled with attractive, politically active people more concerned with spreading the gospel of a good moral code than the life-changing message of the Gospel. As a result, Christianity is reduced to a set of formulas and me-centered theology. We need a wholesale change in thought from building an organization to building the Kingdom of God, which is the real purpose of the church. When the Kingdom again becomes our focus, other things take care of themselves. Like Paul, we will do whatever it takes in whatever culture to assure that the message is preached.

What does the 'gift of us' say to others about G-d’s care for them? Does our existence scream G-d loves you? Or have we instead become a comfortable country club that exists for ourselves. Have we developed a subtle theology that pits us vs them? Or have our religious structures become more important than the individuals they are supposed to touch?

Is G-d really gifting the world with us? And what is underneath the wrapping?