A return to our emerging values.

In these next few posts I hope to talk explore more about the emerging churches values.

I am no expert… there are many better educated individuals out there who can do a better job, yet this seems to be the direction I see God taking me as of now.

In this series I hope to convey nothing set in stone. That in itself would be counterproductive to the conversation and would actually diminish what I hope to accomplish.. Mostly this is to open again the vault of discussion… to dig deeper into the conversation once again around our unique calling of God for this generation. I am hoping, praying, in tears and in hopes to unleash the emerging church from the bondage of fear to move from words of the conversation, to action. There are leaders out there, and I am reluctant to even include myself, that God has called for this time, this generation, this moment… and that is Today!

“…now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:1)

The first and foremost value that we must begin… as if it was our own lives that depended on it is to live missional.

I am again no expert on missional living… but I will say this… it is much harder than going door to door… it is more than getting someone to come to church to get the pastor to do all the work for you… it is not about getting in the trenches… it is about getting out and facing the oncoming bullets.

Being missional is about being active in others lives… being Jesus to those that are hurting. To say it is less is to miss the mission we are called to do, to preach to ALL creation, and MAKE DISCIPLES. If we really believe the words of Jesus as He proclaimed that the Kingdom of God is at hand, then we must lift that banner of Jesus for all to see. We must take Jesus back to the streets He walked and walk like Him… proclaiming that same Gospel to the lost and disenchanted, those that society says are unlovable… we must reach out to the lepers, the Samaritans, and those Gentile dogs of this culture we live in. I don’t care if it is America or Australia or Africa… we must be engaged in the act of loving our neighbor or all our conversation means nothing!

Who are these unclean people of our day… the ones God brings to you... as you reach out as His ambassador of the Kingdom… The rich can be just as lost as the poor, the healthy sicker than the sickest HIV patient and the opposite is also true… the point is we cannot proclaim one person more redeemable than another, as that places our judgment over God… and keeps us from humbly hearing God’s guiding voice.

Jesus must be the focus of the emerging church and as I see it if we do not turn away from those who desire to tear us down, we will not be working on the Foundation Jesus has built for us. We cannot look at two places at the same time anymore than we can face the sun directly and still see our own shadows.

Missional living can take on many forms… "social activism, hospitality, acts of kindness or service particular to the personality of an individual" as God can vary the mode as He see’s fit… it might even include door to door evangelism if one is called, so do not think I am tossing everything. But, that can only be a small part of the overall life we are to live.

In that this Life we Live is Christ in us… in that as His ambassadors of His Life… living in His abundance, we are to share that out of our hearts… lives… placing others above ourselves… sacrificially. Again, if it is not as if we are sacrificing our very life for His or rather the lost one in front of us, how are truly being Jesus to that person.

We are to pour out our lives… as living sacrifices… in everything we do to call out to others to listen to that Calling we have heard and lift Jesus up so that He will draw all to Himself. If we think it is about us, then we miss the point, just as if we think our salvation is just about ourselves misses the point of the New Creation we are now in and that it is all about glorifying God.

Missional living is more than leaving a tract in hopes someone will be saved, it is about being that tract and letting people read your life as a reflection of Who Jesus is.

We cannot do this on our own strength… don’t even try. We must press into our beloved Savior to even begin to try… we must take personally this calling as Living Sacrifices.

Blessings,
iggy

Intro
Part 2

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