MissionSHIFT: Clarifying “Missional”

Posted on March 1, 2010

Some people describe mission as incarnational and organic. Yet many others add the term “missional” to their current church programs and attractional church structures. Are both a proper use of the term “missional”?

Enter MissionSHIFT, a conversation and conference to clarify just what mission is and, as a result, develop a “missional manifesto.” Sound interesting? Over the next few weeks, I’ll be participating with you and the leaders below to advance this conversation, to clarify the meaning of missional.

The Manifesto

Sounds awfully juggernauntish doesn’t it? Rest assured, this isn’t a political statement that will put to rest all missional debate. It’s not a parochial attempt to strong-arm one definition of missional. We want to hear from you. However, the intent of the emerging manifesto is to say: “This is what we mean when we talk about being missional.” It might not be a universal statement, but MissionSHIFT leaders hope it will be an important one, one that clarifies missional thinking and practice.

Missional Leaders in the Conversation

Let’s get started. Leave a comment about with your own, rough, 1-sentence definition of “missional.” Your responses will be collated, considered, and responded to as we move towards greater clarity on mission.

Sovereignty of God & Prayer

Posted on February 28, 2010

This Monday we discussed the Sovereignty of God & Prayer at City Seminary. We defined the sovereignty of God as: “The pleasure of the triune God in ruling over all things.” We then applied this doctrine to anxiety in our lives, which is often manifested in: controlling fear, constant busyness, or distracting habits.

Detecting Anxiety Idolatry

How do you discern where anxiety is festering in your life? Try to find where your feelings are out of control, and you’ll find your idol (paraphrase of TK). For instance, controlling fear may paralyze you in parenting, air travel, or solitude. Our feelings can mislead us. As Thom Yorke says, “Just because you feel it doesn’t mean its there.” Just because you fear failure doesn’t mean its there or to be trusted. Anxiety offers us a false promise: “Be anxious and you’ll have control or peace.”

Moving Beyond Anxiety into Sovereignty

In order to move beyond anxiety, we need a true promise to rely on. Phillipians 4:6-7 promises us “peace that surpasses comprehension” if we will bring our anxieties to God in prayer. Now, this promise can only be true and trustworthy if God is sovereign. If he isn’t, he can’t promise incomprehensible peace in all circumstances. However, there’s a condition on this promise. We must give up self-sovereignty before we can trust in God’s sovereignty. Where are your emotions out of control? What is sovereign in your life? God or fear or busyness?

Prayer Works with a Sovereign God

The way forward from paralyzing anxiety is to trust in God’s sovereignty. This doesn’t happen through mental resignation; it requires genuine prayer and trust in God. Repentance from trusting in false promises and new faith in true promises. This gift of prayer brings us into sweet communion with God.

But if God is sovereign, doesn’t he already know what I will ask? Yes, he does (Matt 6:8) but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t pray. He’s ordained our prayers to sovereignly accomplish our good and keep his promises of peace. Tim Chester puts it well:

God offers us prayer as a possibility and commands us to pray because he is a relational God who purposes to have a relationship with his people. It is not that God receives new data through our prayers, but that through our prayers information is clothed in love making it communication. God has ordained that he will be affected by our loving communication to him.

In prayer, anxious humans meet a joyfully sovereign God. He calls us to deep dependence on him and promises to replace our anxiety with peace.

Books on Prayer

Articles

Pillar Commentaries Discounted

Posted on February 27, 2010

I’ve used the Pillar commentaries for the past six years. They strike a balance between academic and accessibility. WTS Bookstore is selling the much anticipated Peter O’ Brien’s new Hebrews commentary at 45% off. Plus you can get an additional 10% off other Pillar commentaries. Other commentaries I recommend in this series:

  • Letter to the Colossians (Moo)
  • Letter to Ephesians (O’Brien)
  • Acts of the Apostles (Peterson)