• The Missional Church - Book Review Part III

    October 23, 2006

    Book Summary on Missional ChurchPart I - Part II

    The key means to aid in the re-understanding of the church in this way demands a “fresh hearing of the gospel.” The gospel is Jesus. (87) Of course, the question is what is it about Jesus and his message that is the gospel? They write, “Jesus’ good news that the reign of God is at hand is clothed with meaning by his continuing presence as the risen, reigning, and glorified Lord. Believing in Jesus also means believing Jesus Christ about the reign of God.” (88) What is this reign of God? It is the idea of shalom that “envisions the full prosperity of a people of god living under the covenant of God’s demanding care and compassionate rule.” (88) This understanding of the reign of God is must be the focal point of the gospel if the church wants to be missional. “It is in these findings that any biblically rooted and contextually relevant sense of the calling of the church in North America must begin.” (96) This is because finds its identity in “representing the reign of God” as well as being an “agent and witness.” (103) The “church is the preview community, the foretaste and harbinger of the coming reign of God.” (108)

    The church must also be apostolic. This essentially means that it is “sent out on behalf of the reign of God.” (110) As the church exists as an apostolic community, it must figure out how to be “in the world but not of the world.” This means challenging powers (113) and it engages with the culture without being controlled by the culture while constantly trying to communicate the gospel in the surrounding culture and “is cultivating and forming the culture of god’s new community, a culture not of this world.” (114-115) The church also needs to see itself as an alternative community in the face of a dominant society (127).

  • Comments on this Post:

    Comment by: Scott


    1

    Brother Todd,

    Thanks for these posts. I have found them intersting. I do think churches like Harvest could do more to be more missional.

    Just a few thoughts:

    Sometimes it seems that when people discuss the gospel in a missional context there seems to be a lack of an individualistic compenent..it tends to be about Christ just redeeeming the world “as a whole.” To me the gospel (good news) is that Christ is making (will make) all things new.

    1. Makinng sinful “dead” individuals alive in Christ

    2. Using these new alive individuals as a group (the church) to be missional and help bring about God’s kingdom on earth.

    The gospel is BOTH. But to me you can’t have the 2nd without the 1st.

    Looking forward to seeing you guys at Christmas. See I actually do read your blog!

    Scott

    10/24/06 4:49 AM

    Comment by: Todd


    2

    Scott, good thoughts, i was just thinking this on my short morning commute this morning after reading through ephesians (aren’t i spiritual)

    its both. right. however, most groups over emphasize over part over the other. in fact, at the well we’ve probably over emphasized the second at the expense of the first at times.

    however, i don’t like to think of them as somehow separate issues…they are the same issue. (which, i think you are getting at)

    anyway, thanks for reading my blog :)

    10/24/06 6:11 AM

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