A "World Christian"

Are you hungering for greater depth and rootedness in your spiritual life?
Are you seeking to discern God’s call in your life?
Do you desire to serve in and through the local church in the city?
Are you carving space in your life to slow down and prayerfully listen?
Do you want to know and be known in the context of an intimate community?
Do you long to live more simply in community with others?
Do desire to imaginatively engage friends and neighbors with the love of Christ?

"For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time--to show us his grace through Christ Jesus." - 2 Timothy 1:9

 

These questions and their answers has happened to everyone who has been “transferred from the dominion of darkness into the Kingdom of God’s dear Son” (Colossians 1). We’ve been summoned to be part of a narrative far greater than we could have imagined – a larger purpose, a longer story, a higher calling, marching toward a grander horizon. We’ve stepped into something rooted in an ancient history, moving toward a nearly incomprehensible culmination, contending with a more formidable enemy, and fulfilling the most incredible task humankind could ever assume, one that invites all the earth into eternal transformations. Our story is about a Lion who reigns supreme, portrayed as a Lamb at the center of the throne of the universe (Revelation 5).

This takes us to what is called, Whole-life Embracing,

1. It embraces questions, doubt and struggle as part of the journey of a disciple.

2. There’s a clear appreciation of the role of the church ‘scattered’ as well as ‘gathered’.

3. There’s a recognition that mission is missio dei – God’s intention to renew all things

     under the Lordship of Christ.

4. The focus is on transformation rather than the acquisition of knowledge or activism.

5. Being and Doing are in healthy tension.

6. Growth of the whole person is encouraged – body, mind, spirit, soul.

7. It connects to all contexts of life – home, work, leisure, art, sport etc.

8. It connects to contemporary culture and the issues of today’s society and world.

9. It promotes community rather than individualism

It is about exploring how to live as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. Learning about God's grace, which is the character of the divine-human relationship, and learning the basic practices God has given to draw us to Christ and keep us with Him. These basic practices of Christian faith and life are known in the Wesleyan tradition as the means of grace. If love describes the what of our relationship with Christ, the means of grace are how we live with Christ in the world and grow in loving and knowing God, our neighbors, and ourselves.

In Missions it means being involved in - sending, going, praying, giving, welcoming, mobilizing and networking.

In our personal lives we need to ask the question - what’s the secret to living a spiritual life? So much is happening in our world that we often get distracted and listen to voices other than the voice of God.

“If we want to be disciples of Jesus, we have to live a disciplined life.” - Henri Nouwen

In the spiritual life, discipline requires conscious effort to keep every area in life from being filled up. It means creating space in our life for God to act and speak. Nouwen identifies 3 essential disciplines for maintaining a life of discipleship: solitude, community, and ministry.

I like the purpose statement of Belfast Bible College -

To be a welcoming community in which God works to form His people by integrating spiritual, academic and practical education rooted in His Word, for growth in Christian life and service, locally and around the World.

A World Christian perspective focuses the Christian life on the world-wide mission of Jesus. Whether in our community or elsewhere, the priority is reaching the unreached, and adopting a "wartime" lifestyle to evangelize, plant churches and support those who are doing these things. Rather than find new ways to entertain ourselves, more meetings to attend, more trips to take and more things to buy, a World Christian perspective simplifies and focuses the Christian life away from being a consumer in a Christian culture to being a participant in God's global project. Whether through informed praying, sacrificial giving, personal evangelism, spreading the vision, church planting or involvement on the field in a supportive role, the World Christian's neighborhood is not just the local church, but the Christian movement throughout the earth, and his or her life reflects a measurement by a radically different standard.

What is the meaning of life? How can purpose, fulfillment, and satisfaction in life be found? How can something of lasting significance be achieved? So many people have never stopped to consider these important questions. They look back years later and wonder why their relationships have fallen apart and why they feel so empty, even though they may have achieved what they set out to accomplish. An athlete who had reached the pinnacle of his sport was once asked what he wished someone would have told him when he first started playing his sport. He replied, “I wish that someone would have told me that when you reach the top, there's nothing there.” Many goals reveal their emptiness only after years have been wasted in their pursuit.

So we live in the homes with a family, work in local businesses, and share in the lives and experiences of people in their neighborhood. The “classroom” is our neighborhood, the church, home and work place. We meet in homes for meals, worship, discussion and community building.

How about this short-term project that I came across in South Asia, in  Bhogpur Children’s Home, which provides education and a safe living environment for underserved children. Two-week teams are needed to help lead and facilitate youth retreats, VBS, and English camp. Construction experience needed for work projects to improve campus facilities.

How about this welcoming paragraph I found in a church in my neighbourhood -

When arriving at Graceway you’ll quickly find a warm, friendly group of people committed to making church exciting, life-changing, and enjoyable. When you enter the main foyer you will see a Welcome Center and friendly faces to answer your questions.
Clothing varies from casual to dressed up to extremely relaxed. You may notice people wearing the native dress of their birth country. Bottom line – you will feel comfortable. We encourage you to come as you are.
You can choose from one of three Sunday worship services, each featuring a different style of worship and praise. They are best described as Reverence (8am), Mosaic (9:30am), and Progressive (11am). The 11am service is translated into Spanish. Services are approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes in length. After the service we invite you to join one of our pastors in the International Visitor’s Suite. We look forward to meeting you personally and answering any questions you might have.

If you belong to a good church, hopefully your pastor or deacons can help your to prepare to be a missionary. I would also talk to missionaries on the field to get advice, wisdom and counsel from them. I would start studying the field where you plan on serving. You should pray that your vision to serve God as a full time missionary is genuine. Many times God will not call someone to be a missionary unless someone is faithful in their morning devotions, prayer life and witnessing or preaching where they live right now. Also, many people feel called to be a missionary right after they are saved, when in fact God just wants them them to witness locally. At this time, right after someone is saved, it is good to get active locally and go on some short term missions trips.

Your stated aim and objectives of partnerships could look like this:

1. Building capacity for interpersonal relationship and community building.
2. Challenging the theological and missiological status quo.
3. Motivating mission action, and
4. Empowering young people to return to their local congregation and continue their journey as mission animators and partners.

 

Related articles

• Paul Washer - The glorious Gospel (New)