Tag Archives: Missions

Participating in the missio Dei

The Missional Church – Part 1: The Missional Nature of God

week 3

John 3:16, 5:24, 14:26, 17:18, 20:21

Missional Living Homework:

  • What did you do (plan to do) to encourage proximity in your neighborhood?
  • What did you do (plan to do) to encourage presence in your neighborhood?

Three Movements in the missio Dei

God the Father ->

God the Father & the Son ->

God the Father, Son, & the Spirit ->

It’s about Priority

It is not so much that God has a mission for his church in the world, but that God has a church for his mission in the world.

Mission or Missions

John 20:21 As the Father has sent me, So I am sending you.

The Four Ds

Discover

Discern

Do

Debrief

 

Questions:

  • What thoughts do you have as you reflect on the quote: “It is not so much that God has a mission for his church in the world, but that God has a church for his mission in the world”?
  • In what ways are the Four Ds helpful?

Missional Living Homework:

  • Where do I see God at work? Where and how do I see God working in the lives of those around me? Where and how is God working in my neighborhood? What about my place of vocation?
  • In light of my gifts and resources, how does God want me to partner in what he’s doing?

Incarnational Ministry

The Missional Church – Part 1: The Missional Nature of God

Missional Living Homework from Last Week

  • Identify at least two people groups or geographical locations in your city or neighborhood to which God is looking to “send” someone.
  • List areas in your life that may need to change for you to be able to say, “Here am I. Send me!” What is the first step you will take to overcome each hindrance?

Missional

Is our direction

Incarnational

How we go

What we do as we go

The Incarnation

John 1:14 a  (The Message)

The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.

John 20:21

As the Father has sent me, So I am sending you.

 

Proximity

We cannot demonstrate Christlikeness at a distance from those whom we feel called to serve.”

Presence

Identification & Surrender

(Philippians 2)

With and for

Questions:

  • How would you describe the concept of proximity? What about the concept of presence?
  • How does this influence the way you think about where you live and how you live?

Missional Living Homework:

  • Ask yourself, Am I in close proximity to those to whom God has called me? What will I do this week to encourage proximity? Identify one way to experience greater proximity and act upon it.
  • Ask yourself, Am I experiencing incarnational “presence” with those I live near? Do I identify and understand the fears and concerns of those around me? Now determine one way to experience a greater level of presence and act on it.