Moms, your mission starts here

I went to a conference last week, on "Missional Living."  This means, living as if you are a missionary where-ever it is that God has planted you. Missions is not a vocation, and it does not involve moving to a Third World country, despite our modern treatment of missions. The impact of what I learned at Verge came to me during Saturday morning's time that we worshiped through song and prayer-the Holy Spirit impressed me with this thought, "Mom, your mission starts here."

Preconference Session: Redefining Discipleship-- David Putman & Shawn Lovejoy

1. Christology must define our ecclesiology.  This simply means that we start with our understanding of Jesus, not our understanding of the church.  As a mom, we can apply this thus: start with your understanding of Jesus, not your understanding of the home. Read the gospels- I blogged that last Fall. To understand Christ, we need to read the gospels. Start with Matthew, then Mark, Luke and John. Then start over again at Matthew. We won't know Jesus if we don't read his biography. You think you've heard it before, but read it again.
2. Christ's commission must form our mission. A popular thought in church-sponsored parenting seminars and homeschool seminars is "write out your family mission statement."  You don't need to figure out the mission statement. Jesus stated it for us: Go therefore and make disciples. The modern church has become proficient at teaching us to talk about it but not to do it. 
3. We must put FLESH on our theology. On the Sonlight forums, we talk about being Jesus with skin on.  We say we believe-- but do we follow? Don't be so concerned about "believing right" that you fail to follow. Knowing doctrine just doesn't make much difference if you aren't doing.
4. Discipleship is both art and science.  The presenters suggested dichotomies: create v. plan, organic v. strategy, focus v. intention. There are two parts, an art and a science. There is balance- choose to keep it balanced. We can't be on one side or the other-- too structured v. unstructured. Find the balance point in between.
5. Must think differently about how we disciple.  We're looking at fruit, not meat. Too many people go to church saying, "I need fed. I need fed. I need meat."  The truth is, it's about fruit not meat. The ones insisting they need meat are really just asking to be impressed with your knowledge. Growth shows by the fruit produced, not by the meat consumed. Knowledge puffs up!!! 
6. Discipleship is cyclical, not linear. How many times have we thought we failed because we "should be past this" issue already and here it's popped up again?? Each time we come back to the same place, we are digging deeper and understanding more thoroughly, and changing more completely. 

Session One: Missional Communities and Compassionate Justice-- Charles T Lee

1. This is Jesus Stuff.
2. Just Start.
3. Defined: Social version of the gospel-- seek fair redistribution of resources.
4. Compassion is a response to a crisis. Justice is rooting out the cause of the crisis.
5. Band-aids aren't justice (they are compassion). To reach justice, we have to go to the infrastructure, the governing foundations.
6. Is. 1:15, 17- stop doing wrong; seek justice
7. Is. 58:6-7- choose not to receive so that others may receive
8. Jer. 22:16- Is this not what it means? 

^{13 -17}"Doom to him who builds palaces but bullies people,

   who makes a fine house but destroys lives, Who cheats his workers
   and won't pay them for their work, Who says, 'I'll build me an elaborate mansion
   with spacious rooms and fancy windows. I'll bring in rare and expensive woods
   and the latest in interior decor.' So, that makes you a king—
   living in a fancy palace? Your father got along just fine, didn't he?
   He did what was right and treated people fairly, And things went well with him.
   He stuck up for the down-and-out, And things went well for Judah.
   Isn't this what it means to know me?"
         God's Decree! "But you're blind and brainless.
   All you think about is yourself, Taking advantage of the weak,
   bulldozing your way, bullying victims." 

So how did God use these teachings to tell me "Mom, your mission starts here"?  How many times have I concerned myself with others and neglected serving my own children these ways?  How often am I guilty of not letting my own children into my space? Do I treat my children like I treat my friends?  Charles T Lee, Dave Gibbons, George Patterson all said something to the same effect:  Jesus is not for beating people into submission.  It's not about arguing over whose rules are better. Jesus is just at a higher level than that!  But how often are we using rules and "obedience" and Jesus to "beat our children into submission"?  Where's the GRACE?

Do we wait for God to say go?  Dave Gibbons challenged us to just GO, till God says stop and go somewhere else. George Patterson challenged us to START A MOVEMENT. And to both, the Holy Spirit told me during prayer time:  START WITH YOUR OWN CHILDREN.