On-Mission Mondays: Live Apostolically

Every Monday I post about being “on mission” with Christ. I’ll spend a couple of months asking you to think with me about the principles in Milfred Minatrea’s book, Shaped By God's Heart: The Passion and Practices of Missional Churches. Find previous posts on this subject here.

"We didn't need to be more religious; we needed to be more connected."

That's what Robert Lewis said was behind his church's determination to be a church of "irresistible influence" in their community.

And that is a good summary of what Milfred Minatrea calls “Missional Practice Number Five,” which is to “live apostolically."

We are to live apostolically in three ways. First, we have to recognize that every disciple is "one who is sent" into the world. This is new thinking for many believers, who have the understanding that it is only missionaries who are "sent." Minatrea says:

We have frequently heard about the work of missionaries around the world. We have been asked to pray for those whom God has sent and for those among whom they are seeking to share the Gospel. We have been asked to give financially so that those who were called to missions would be able to go and serve. . . . These mission experiences are critical and have resulted in millions coming to know Christ as Savior. But it is also true that some disciples have been left with the impression that praying and giving totally fulfills their mission responsibility.

But the Bible makes clear that all followers are to be witnesses pointing others to acknowledge God.

It is similar to what Roy Fish and JE Conant said years ago in their book Every Member Evangelism for Today:

[The Bible issues] a personal command to every Christian to . . . seek and to win every lost individual in his personal world to salvation. We are also to scatter over the inhabited earth, as the providence of God leads and opens the way, so that the whole world will be continuously and simultaneously evangelized.

Second, to live apostolically means we must recognize how to communicate with those to whom we are "sent." Minatrea says:

Among the first activities of missionaries appointed to serve in international environments has traditionally been language school. Value has been placed upon the capacity to communicate in the vernacular of the people. Today, members of missional churches must be bilingual in that they must be able to communicate in terms that can be understood by those without as well as those within the church.

Chris Seay says one of the ways we can learn this cultural language is to pay attention to music and movies. "In music and movies, you see all of these deep spiritual questions.” But he says, “The people that are supposed to engage those questions have removed themselves. We pull away from culture to the point where we can no longer affect it."

Minatrea makes reference to one pastor in the Washington, DC area who has an annual series of messages called "God in the Movies." "I look for moments of 'glory' in the films and trace that glory to its source in the Creator,” the pastor says. “Film has become a kind of universal language, and people appreciate it when we take the time to learn their culture and exegete it with respect, not disdain."

Third, apostolic living involves building relationships with people, and being willing to join them in their spiritual journey -- a journey that sometimes takes a long time to arrive at a decision for Christ. Minatrea says:

Investing in a long dialogue with the nonbeliever is not nearly as easy as presenting a memorized "plan of salvation." . . . in this personal evangelism method, one introduces truths and invites the hearer to respond. . . . The person making the presentation has fulfilled his or her evangelistic responsibility and can move on to witness to the next candidate. The method is not nearly as messy as getting involved in listening to people as they struggle, and letting them see that we struggle too. Or crying with them in their pain, or walking beside them as they seek answers to the tough situations of life.

At Hillcrest, we are trying to lead our people to live apostolically in all three of these ways. First, while affirming the churches long history of supporting those who reach people across the ocean, we are working hard to communicate the importance of reaching people across the street, too. Reaching Bolivia is important; so is reaching Balcones Woods.

Second, we are working hard to learn the language of our Northwest Austin neighbors, and we are trying to teach that language to the leaders and members of Hillcrest. As part of that process, I often use positive references from movies and music in my sermons. I have even done two series of sermons called "Movie Messages," in which I did a Bible study on the themes of some popular films.

And, third, we are leading the members of Hillcrest to build relationships with people and join them on their spiritual journey. Herb Ingram, Jim Siegel, and I have developed the “INVITE Evangelism Strategy" for this purpose. You can learn more about this Strategy at Herb's blog.