MISSIONAL Archives - Page 11 of 30

Birthright: Living Out of Our Transformed Identity

The way of the world is: We do things (perform, serve, work etc.) to have value in the eyes of our family, friends, parents, spouse, siblings, boss, pastor etc.

If we do a good enough job and are perceived as valuable, then people will want us around. We will be wanted. Out of this activity we often form our identity. What we DO has led to who we ARE. Or at least we think it has. But there is a huge problem with this, it is terribly dangerous, it eventually crushes us, and it goes against how God now sees us.

Don’t believe the DO=BE lies anymore.[clickToTweet tweet=”If we are in Christ, then the Bible teaches we have been transformed and given a new identity.” quote=”If we are in Christ, then the Bible teaches we have been transformed and given a new identity.”]

If we are in Christ, then the Bible teaches we have been transformed and given a new identity. We have become part of a family of missionary servants, sent to serve the world and make disciples of Jesus.

This is who we are. This is our new identity. This is the secret.

And this is true of us as Christians EVEN IF WE NEVER KNEW IT. This is our birthright!

The more we understand and believe this to be true, the more our lives will be transformed.

We’ve all seen and heard this before if we’ve ever been baptized or witnessed a baptism ceremony. But maybe we missed it. In Matthew 28:19 Jesus laid out the entire picture and command for us, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” There it is. The mission of the Church and the means to accomplish it.

Our baptism is not some salvational magic spell or just a culturally ancient ritual; we are baptized, soaked, established into a new identity. Into the NAME OF the Father, and the NAME OF the Son, and the NAME OF the Holy Spirit…all a huge identity statement. This is who we now are. Looking briefly at each of these…

We are baptized into the name of the Father.

Our name has everything to do with whose family we are a part of. God is now our Father. We are his dearly loved children. In Christ we are brothers and sisters; That makes the Church a family. It is part of our transformed identity.

We are also baptized into the name of the Son.

We have entered into an identity relationship with Jesus. He is our King, who came and lived as a servant to all, and we now are his servants, serving his glorious mission, as we serve others as a way of life. Being a servant is now a part of our renewed identity.

Finally, we are baptized into the name of the Holy Spirit.

Throughout the New Testament the Holy Spirit is the sending agent of the Church. He empowered Jesus while on Earth, he guided and comforted the early Church and his indwelling presence transforms our identity into “sent ones”: literally missionaries.

As Christians we are alI missionaries.

Because of who God is, and Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, we truly have become a family of missionary servants sent as disciples who make disciples.

This is our birthright. You may not have always known this to be true about yourself…but the next best time start believing it is now!

[Comments from my old website/blog were not carried over to this new one. Please leave your thoughts below.]

Neighborhood Missional Living for the Imperfectly Ready

Neighborhood missional living is something that many ascribe to, but not everyone achieves. This type of intentional discipleship in community includes family, friends, and those living closest to you and helps you experience the gospel in ways that you never imagined.

This week on the Lifeschool Podcast, we talk with our friend Twyla Franz, a mother of three, as she shares a bit of her family’s journey into missional living. She’ll show us how to start taking baby steps in spite of being imperfectly ready.

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How to Stop Loving Stuff and Start Loving People

Being blessed with material wealth, things like a nice home and decorations, cars, clothing and mountains of electronics, is great. I’ve been given all of these things in my life and I’m grateful. But at times, some of these “good things” become “the things” that I begin to worship or protect, in a sense, forgetting what is truly important.

This Could Be Me…This Could Be You

After living in community for a while in Tacoma I met an older couple, not yet retired, but getting close to that stage of life. They were really cool folks who loved food, wine and riding motorcycles. What’s not to like? (more…)

Be The Church

If you’re a Christian who has grown up “going to church” most Sundays, do you find yourself asking, “Is this all there is?” Maybe instead of just going to church it’s time to BE the Church!

Please read on.

I spent my first few years as a pastor at a really large church near Chicago. I will be forever grateful to the staff I worked with during those years.

My life, character, and theology were shaped in profound ways during that time, and yet I still wondered, was this all there was? Is this what Jesus meant by his Kingdom had now come onto this earth?

Get a free copy of my super-popular eBook, Be The Church, now.

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The Consistency of How God Now Sees You

We all experience hard times, relational strife or loss and fear. And it can lead to deep depression and self-doubt. However, there is always one thing present in those times that we can easily forget: the consistency of God.

I travel a lot for ministry and work, and I have for years. A while ago I was on a flight that scared me a little. Not long after take-off we flew up through a dark layer of storm clouds. The plane rocked and jumped from side to side and seemed to struggle as it climbed through the clouds. It was a pretty turbulent few minutes.
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How Do Introverted People Stay Engaged in a Missional Life?

Welcome to this 4^th installment of Ask Caesar. Here’s this week’s question:

“Caesar, this missional lifestyle you write and speak about sounds so awesome, but I’m not an extrovert like you and your wife both seem to be. How do introverts like me fit into this whole missional thing?”

I’m glad you asked that Meg because I hear this a lot and I think it’s an important issue.

First, a little history about these personality types and how they differ.

Extraversion and Introversion are the preferences originally used in a personality inventory created by psychologist Carl Jung in the 1920s. Most people today may be more familiar with these terms in connection with the Myers-Briggs Type Inventory. These terms are unfortunately a bit outmoded, misunderstood and misused in that extraversion is not about being loud or the life of the party and introversion is not about being shy or anti-social. (more…)

Birthright: Living Out of Our Transformed Identity

The way of the world is: We do things (perform, serve, work etc.) to have value in the eyes of our family, friends, parents, spouse, siblings, boss, pastor etc.

Neighborhood Missional Living for the Imperfectly Ready