Going Wild

On a regular basis we see people going wild when they make a decision to cross a line. Sometimes it is the result of new found freedom like when a child reaches adulthood and is no longer under parental restriction. We all probably know of someone who went from a "well behaved and respectful" kid into a wild, party animal when they got out from under their parent's wings. What I am focusing on here is the extremes.

While probably most kids open up a bit they often retain a good deal of the characteristics of their upbringing. But why is it that some seem to try and run as far away from everything they have known? Do they really reject EVERYTHING they have known or is there something else that goes on that makes it difficult to accept even a portion of their past belief?

I think there is a psychological reason for the total rejection. There seems to be a need for validating their rejection so the brain works overtime finding reasons to reject everything. They find it difficult to mesh some of their new ways of seeing the world with their established ways of seeing the world so they can only choose one or the other. My guess is that these people have difficulty with gray areas and uncertainty and like to see things in black and white.

This doesn't happen only with young people either. I have seen people leave their faith and become some of the harshest critics of their former faith. Most would probably say this is because they have seen the inside and don't like what they saw. My guess is that this has more to do with their personal struggle and uncertainty. I have also see this with people who were once politically conservative but are now quite liberal. They consistently attack conservatives while defending liberals. My guess is that they really don't feel that their liberal side is always right but they have spent so long living in an unbalanced, conservative view that they subconsciously feel the need try to put it back in balance.

The sad part about all of this is that it stifles honest discourse. Our ability to have constructive conversations seems to be disappearing. It isn't safe to say anything because it will probably be taken the wrong way or someone will read something into it that was never intended. That's sad.

Missional (Again)

As I have mentioned before, I am concerned about how missional is defined because I think it is one of those words that is starting to mean a lot of different things and will soon become useless. I also think there is a real danger of people mistaking missional activity for being missional. Before long a person thinks they are missional, not because they are using what God has given them to serve in His redemptive mission, but because they help out once a week at the local community center. Working at the community center may very well be missional but it could just as easily not be.

I want to find an accessible definition that makes it clear that there is a difference between being misisonal and missional activity. There are two scripture references that help for me. The first is Colossians 1:13-23

Colossians 1:13 "For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. 21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant."

I almost don't know where to start on this passage.
- Rescued from the dominion of darkness into the Kingdom. (verse 13)
- Redemption and forgiveness of sin. (verse 14)
- The supremacy of Christ. (verses 15-19)
- The reconciliation of all things. (verses 20-22)
- A servant of this gospel. (verse 23)

I'm not fleshing all this out here but I see Paul presenting the gospel here which speaks of our redemption as well as His mission to reconcile all things. Then I see Paul saying that he is a servant to this gospel. To many, the servants part is to proclaim this gospel to the ends of the earth and we see that Paul fits this description. But I do not believe that being a servant of the gospel simply means verbal proclamation. At this point I go to another passage, 1 Peter 4:10.

1Peter 4:10 "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms."

So then, we are to use whatever gift we have received to serve the gospel of redemption and the reconciliation of all things to God through Christ. That means a missional person is one who:
- Is aware of his gifts and seeks to develop them.
- Studies the world in which he lives seeking the Holy Spirit's to places he can use his gift to bring    reconciliation and restoration.
- Lives out this mission in community as a part of the body of Christ.

One of the dangers I see is that our in our western world view we tend to like everything neatly organized. That is why I see "Missional Communities" organized around a single task. I'm not sure that should be the norm. It is good that a Christian work together with others from their community but a truly missional person will not limit themselves to just one task or need. They will be constantly on the look out for opportunities to be a servant of this gospel in everything they do, whether it is volunteering at a local community center or at the store buying groceries. Being a servant of the gospel is not like a job that you clock in and out of. We are to be slaves to the gospel in a way that it encompasses our whole life.