Tangible Kingdom (Week 8 Day 5) “Fork in the Road”
August 17th, 2009 § 3 Comments
As with many community groups going through the Tangible Kingdom Primer, ours from ANC were pre-existing groups (with an already missional and service oriented DNA). In addition to helping us grow in an understanding for who we should be, each of us have seen how the study could be really useful for establishing new groups or “pioneering” groups from day one. Whether or not you were new at the beginning would determine how you approached many of the “action” steps along the way. Today is no different.
While this is the last week of this study, it doesn’t have to be the last time your community gets together. The discussion this week will include your plans for the future. Maybe some or all of you would like to continue together on the journey of living on mission.” – TK Primer pg.184
Although most of our communities were already in existence, each of us should still be considering how what we’ve learned over the past 8 weeks should inform and even shape what our gatherings look like. There were some real soul searching moments when we asked the questions from the “Inviting In” section. Especially in the area of inviting an unbelieving friend, neighbor, or coworker into our community… would we do that? why or why not?
If not here, with us, then where? and when?
If we really wanted to be a place where someone can “belong” and find community, even before they “believed”… with hopes to “become” together (because none of us have really arrived yet)… that’s a question worth answering. That’s the heart of incarnational community. To walk with someone in life that they might find Christ. Not to “change” them as a project. Lives are impacted through authentic relationships not contrived concern. All of our lives will be impacted.
So what does that look like? Keep your community gathering as they are? Tweak what you’re doing? Multiply them out where we can to make room for sojourners? Send out leaders as missionaries to start new communities? I think the answer is yes, all the above.
I’m looking forward to hearing and seeing what you decide.
i agree brandon. all of the above. i especially like the ability to have more social gatherings so we can invite sojourners to join us for a fun evening and see if they’d like to join us on this journey of community and mission. i’m all about the parties.
If not here, with us, then where? and when?
I love that, my life not long ago was in total chaos, But God! Rescued me! I use to pray for God to use me, but I wasn’t ready to be used by Him. The Holy Spirit spoke to me and I began to pray, Lord make me useable. Then this pitiful nasty sinner became the hands and feet of our Jesus. He has used me to touch lives! So in the social gatherings and fellowship we should be praying not only for the lost but that we would be an instrument of the Lord. Lets all be ready to serve intentionally no matter what the occasion.
Yogi Berra said, “If you come to a fork in the road……take it!”
As we wrap up Tangible Kingdom Primer it’s funny to me how either you get it …..or you dont. Meaning; this missional incarnational life that Jesus calls us to, was already or is such a natural fit…..you could have written this book. Or everything about being on mission has just missed you.
It’s like now….we are at the end of the study…now what. If you have to ask that….maybe you missed it.
Going forward we need to take a good hard look at the Restore Communities that are living on mission….they will be the ones with vibrant turnover, crazy theological discussion and life change.
Other groups, will just do their own thing….creating an insular posture and rarely inviting new people on mission.
So what is the fork? Here it is; do we ‘live on mission’ or do we go back to ‘our schedule’?