Missional Thoughts

The elders at Evergreen are going through some Missional Leadership Development (thanks Dan and Casey). In short, we are having some great discussion on what it is to be missional, on leadership and how the to combine the two in order to create a church community that lives the gospel message.

Over the past week, though not related directly to the training, I have been listening to Michael Frost talk about being missional and what that all means. I love what I have heard and have been likewise motivated to think of radical ways of reorienting my life around missionality (if that is even a word).

However, I do have an issue with Frost's in this talk/sermon/lecture.

At the start, Frost states, "God is at the very core of his character missional." A few sentences later he says, "God is mission. God cannot not mission." I understand what Frost is getting at, but I have to diverge from him and think he is putting the cart before the horse. No where in Scripture does it say "God is mission." Yes, I get this is an argument from silence and I can see this characteristic of God's played out through redemptive history, but we do have a direct statement about the character of God along these lines when John says in his epistle, "God is love."

God is at the very core of his character love! God is love! God cannot not love! Thus he is missional, sending and extending to those who have not yet been set free because of his love. If God were missional at his core, the question would be asked, "why?" "What motivates God to send or extended himself?" These questions are profoundly answered by the characteristic LOVE!

Why did God send Jesus? Love
Why did Jesus die? Love
Why did Jesus send the Holy Spirit? Love
Why did are we sent? Love

I have a theory...in 1 Corinthians 13:13 Paul writes, "Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love." Have you ever asked why love is the greatest? Here is what I think...God has no need for faith or hope and in a Edenic setting neither would humanity. They were create or come into existence as part of God's restorative plan for all creation. However, love is part of God. Love is not God, but it is central to who he is. Love is uncreated because it is the character of God. Thus love is the greatest because it most clearly reflects the character of God.

So, for Frost to say mission is the core of God's character is a little self serving, when the Bible states that God is love. However, I would argue along with Frost that because of the love that God has for creation his activity to redeem creation is displayed in his mission and we as Christians need to be involved in the same activity!