Sometimes, my enthusiasm gets me in trouble when I make statements like “every believer is a minister, and every Christian is to minister to people.”
But, I know I can back up with Scripture the fact that every believer is a missionary – one who seeks converts (those who ‘become Christ-followers.’) How this is done is by living life in such a way that magnifies Jesus. He influences every aspect of one’s life; and we, as missionaries, reflect Christ’s life in how we live. (This is the concept of living ‘incarnationally’ or being missional.) How I live, how I structure my day, dress, act & react, do church and ministry, etc. is done in such a way to communicate Christ.
Some might try to summarize what I am saying by the familiar T-shirt motto, “Preach Christ always. When necessary use words.” But that is like saying cook eggs, when necessary use heat. Our witness must be in word and lifestyle! Where we work is our ‘mission field’ and ministry.
Besides serving the Lord in the ministry as a profession, I have had the joy of living missionally in differing work places: Teamster Union truck driver; ambulance attendant; new/used car salesman; hospital human resource director; professional mover; etc. I found that making a difference for Christ in the lives of my co-workers was always the same: be real; love in action; care about everyone; never judge; serve; work hard and with excellence; don’t be shy about sharing your life story and Christian testimony including the fact that you are active in your church; pray for the salvation of each co-worker by name; be prepared for divine appointments to talk of God’s love and His simple plan of salvation; it’s just about being faithful to the mission of Jesus Christ one day at a time.
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“A missional imagination is not about the church; it’s not about how to make the church better, how to get more people to come to church, or how to turn a dying church around. It’s not about getting the church back to cultural respectability in a time when it has been marginalized. All of these are good things, but they aren’t the focus of a missional imagination. . . .
God is up to something in the world that is bigger than the church even though the church is called to be a sign, witness, and foretaste of God’s purposes in the world. The Spirit is calling the church on a journey outside of itself and its internal focus. Rowan Williams, archbishop of Canterbury, summarizes this imagination in this way: “It is not the church of God that has a mission. It’s the God of mission that has a church.” He is saying God is at work in the world to redeem creation, and God invites us to participate in this mission. . . . Rather than the primary question being, “How do we attract people to what we are doing?” it becomes, “What is God up to in this neighborhood?” and “What are the ways we need to change in order to engage the people in our community who no longer consider church a part of their lives?” This is what a missional imagination is about.”
Quoted from – Introducing the Missional Church: What it is, Why it Matters, How to Become One by Alan J. Roxburgh and M. Scott Boren
EvangeCoach Ministries 