This is the final post in the Missional Rhythms series. You can read the others here: Eating , Learning, Listening.
To live as the sent people of God, we must first realize that God has been unfolding His Story since before time began. We are participants in that Story. Our redemption and restoration from our fear and prideful rebellion comes from when, by faith, we submit our lives to the Story of God. Therefore, as a sent story-formed community, we should look to tell that story often.
Every person on the planet is living their life inside of and in light of a larger story shaped by the country they live in, the cultures surrounding them, the family they were raised in, the worldview they believe in. Until they understand all of this in light of the Redemptive Story of God, they will give themselves over to lesser stories and we have been sent to tell. . .
. . . the Story
We are a story-formed people who are living our lives based upon and within a story. All of our beliefs, identity and actions are all connected this story. This is why we need to know the Redemptive Story of God and talk about it when we sit, stand, walk along the way, lie down, etc.
. . . my Story
We all need to continually grow in the Gospel of grace and truth. We need to be self-aware and let the Holy Spirit through Scripture show us where our lives past and present are not in line with the Gospel.
. . . our Stories
We need to know each other’s stories. As we hear each other’s stories we should ask: Where in your story are struggling to believe the Gospel? What about your identity in Christ are struggling to believe, and how does the Gospel answer your need?
. . . the culture’s Stories
In order to be an effective missionary, we need to know the story of our culture – what has shaped it, what is the dominant story line, what are the idols, where are the open doors for the gospel. By both demonstration and proclamation we should always be prepared to show how the Gospel Story fills the gaps, corrects the lies, and successfully completes the culture’s story.
What are your thoughts?
How do you live SENT?
