Have you heard the word “missional” tossed around in Christian cycles and you’re not sure what it means?
It means more than we might think it does, yet it also means less.
More, because it’s the life we are called to live no matter where we live… because it includes the concept of God’s intentional plan that our mission field is wherever we live… that the church we go to is not solely there to be a place where we meet to worship, but that we are individually and collectively called to strategically reach the community surrounding us.
Less, because we tend to limit anything that sounds like something a missionary does to a calling God places on our lives to go to a foreign land.
When my hubby and I lived on the mission field, every day was an opportunity to reach people for Christ and minister to those who know Christ.
We became all things to all people that by some means, we might win some of those precious souls to Christ.
When we moved back to the states, we noticed how easy it was to get into the mode of going to church and calling it a day. Like that was all there was to life. Go to work, go to church, get involved in a few events, and have a quiet time every day.
But God calls us to be missionaries where we are, whether that is in a foreign land or in our own back yard.
Being missional means understanding God has placed you and I on this planet, in our specific neighborhood, in our specific church on purpose and for a purpose.
Not sure what that means or how to flesh that out in your own neighborhood? Here are a few ideas to help…
1. Live with your eyes open for the purpose of eternity
Slow down and pay attention to those you come in contact with during your every day journey through life. They may be the Divine appointments God has placed in your life for the purpose of reaching them for Christ, ministering hope and healing to their hearts, or showing them the love of Jesus.
2. Brainstorm about how you can intentionally reach out to your neighbors
Have a fun-filled family brainstorming party. Ask your kids to share who they think would be a great candidate to help. Maybe they know a friend who is in need. Maybe you do too. Look for ways to help your neighbors and your community together.
*Remember, we aren’t here to make people comfortable on their way to hell. We are here to point people to Jesus. We use any tool we can to share the hope and love of Christ, but they are tools for an eternal purpose, not a temporary bandaid to a life whose ultimate need is Christ.
3. Plan specific ways to reach people for Christ in your community
Brainstorming is one thing, planning and following through are another. Here are a few ideas to help you follow through:
- Fill your old purses with feminine, hygiene, and clothing items and then take a drive to a homeless community and hand them out.
- Make some extra money so you can keep a few extra bucks on you at all times and buy someone in need a meal.
- Mow your neighbor’s lawn.
- Clean an elderly person’s house.
- Have dinner with someone you know is lonely.
- Collect backpacks for children at an urban area school
Being missional means living life as if God has called you to be a missionary wherever you are… because He has.
There are a ton of ways you can be missional right there in your own community… and, in the process, you can teach your children how to have a big, missional heart too.
Teaching our children how to focus on what really matters most is what really matters most.
Live wise, sweet moms… and teach your children to do the same.
“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.”
Proverbs 11:30 (NKJV)
“The fruit of the [uncompromisingly] righteous is a tree of life, and he who is wise captures human lives [for God, as a fisher of men—he gathers and receives them for eternity].” Proverbs 11:30 (Amplified)
Oh… and by the way, The MOM Initiative was birthed on the mission field. Our heart is to reach the moms of this generation with the goal of reaching the heart of the next generation – to minister to moms who know Christ and reach those who don’t.
Missional mentoring because we know that Jesus changes everything.
Be part of the missional revolution today!
FIND a MOM Group? CLICK HERE
BEGIN a MOM Group? CLICK HERE
JOIN the MILLION MOMS TEAM? CLICK HERE
- Ch…ch…ch…CHANGES Are Coming in 2017 for TMI - December 27, 2016
- What New Thing Are You Ready to See God Do in Your Life in 2017? - December 26, 2016
- Heaviness and Newness - December 23, 2016
