What in the World Is Missional Living?

Guest Blogger August 28th 2015 No comments yet  

God is at work.

Stop. Read that first sentence again. In a time of distressing developments and cultural confusion, we need the comfort of those four words.  Unclench your jaw. Take a breath. Feel the relief. God is at work.

As I step into my new role as your Pastor of Missional Living here at Stonebriar, the question I field most is: “What in the world is missional living?”

Every time I am asked that question, I am more than happy to respond. Even for the hundredth time. Why? Because the explanation of what “missional living” means begins and ends with those four comforting words we can’t hear often enough: God is at work.

God is at work. He is alive and well and on the move. What is God doing? He is revealing Himself through His creation, His Word, and His Son. God is pulling back the curtain of sin to show his power, holiness, and love to a broken world full of broken people. He is on a mission to reveal Himself and to reconcile all who believe in Christ. God is at work.

And that’s not all. Not only is God at work, but God invites you and me to be part of his work. That divine RSVP is our charter to join God’s work with a heart of gratitude and a spirit of adventure. It is a commission to live with our eyes open to what God is doing around us and to keep our hearts and hands ready.

Whoever we are. Wherever we go. God is at work and invites us to join him. That is missional living.

Every believer is called to joyful, wholehearted obedience to our Savior. This is the duty and adventure we all share. For some, obedience means relocation to a distant land and different culture to share the Gospel. For most, obedience means carrying Christ to their workplace, family, and neighborhood.

If you are picking up on the idea that missional living encompasses just about every aspect of our lives, then you would be almost right. Almost. There is one thing missional living does not include—a map.

When you see the word “missions,” you might picture a journey to a distant corner of the globe. However, missional living is something different. Something more. It is not a destination, it’s a way of looking at the world and our place in God’s work.

What’s true for each of us as individuals is true for our church, too. A glance out our building’s windows finds our city growing up all around us. New neighbors present us with opportunities and challenges. It’s no coincidence God has positioned us in this place and at this time. He is at work revealing himself and reconciling all who will believe. Right now. Right here. How will we respond?

Part of that response is to bring the work of our Missions ministry and our Community Care ministry under one umbrella to form Missional Living. We see the value of closer coordination of our efforts to carry Christ beyond the walls of our church—both across the street and around the world.

In the days ahead, our vision is for every believer within the Stonebriar family to approach their lives with a mindset that says, “God asks me to go, so I obey.” Go to work. Go to school. Go to Guatemala. The location is not important. It’s not a matter of geography, it’s a question of the heart.

God is at work. What a comfort. What a call.

Written by Owen Wildman

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