Being a Missionary at Work.

Since the day I realized the that Jesus calls me a missionary in the context in which I work, I have seen ministry completely different. No longer is missions something I have to do overseas or along side of my church, but rather it is who I am in Christ all day everyday. The problem is that for years I was attempting to climb the corporate ladder and the thought of reaching my co-workers was terrifying. Today, I want to encourage us that this is possible. We can actually love our co-workers and reach them with the gospel, if we are intentional. Here are some ways that we can pursue it.....

1. Don't eat alone, intentionally eat with other co-workers and learn their story.

2. Get to work early so you can pray for your co-workers and the day.

3. Make it a daily priority to speak or write encouragement to one person.

4. Bring extra snacks when you make your lunch to give away to others.

5. Bring breakfast once a month for everyone in your department.

6. Organize a running/walking group in the before or after work.

7. Have your community group provide lunch for your workplace once a month.

8. Create a regular time to invite coworkers over or out for drinks.

9. Make a list of birthdays and find a way to bless everyone on their birthday.

10. Organize office parties as appropriate to your job.

11. Avoid gossip in the office. Be a voice of thanksgiving not complaining.

12. Car pool if there is someone who lives close to you.

13. Throw a shower for a co-worker who is having a baby.

14. Cover for a co-worker who needs off for something.

15. Start a lunch out with co-workers (don’t be selective on the invites).

16. Organize a weekly/monthly pot luck to make lunch a bit more exciting.

17. Ask someone if you can grab them a soda/coffee while you’re out.

18. Be the first person to greet and welcome new people.

19. Make every effort to know the names of people and their families.

20. Visit coworkers when they are in the hospital.

21. Have your community group fill a break room for coworkers to enjoy.

22. Go out of your way to talk to people who typically are overlook.

23. Double-Date with other couples after work for happy hour.

24. Invite your co-workers in to the service projects you are already involved in.

25. Keep small candy, gum, or little snacks around to offer to others during a long day.

26. Finds ways to get your co-workers to mingle with friends from church?

27. Remember, 90% of the people you are friends with would visit your church if you invited them.

Thanks Josh Reeves for some of the ideas.

Study Through Acts 1:6-11

"Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"

As I am looking into this part of Acts, I am confronted with my own confusion. Here is the reality; even when are sure that we know what God is doing, we could be way off. Here we are in Acts, Jesus is with his people after the resurrection and they are confident that he has come back to restore Israel as the military and political powerhouse of the world. This thought didn't come out of left field somewhere because you see it being done over and over again in the OT. However, although everything looked as if that was the case, they couldn't have been more wrong. That was not the plan at all.

So, now that we know what the plan is not, we have to figure what the plan actually is. Jesus tells his people 2 very important things here. These two things are the essence of the Christian mission. Often, we think of the mission of God is to be a sanctified Holy people who are reverent and intimate with Christ. Although that is part of the Kingdom, that is not the mission. Here are the 2 things that Christ tells his people.

1. You will spread my message to the entire world.

2. I will be with you the entire time through God the Holy Spirit.

Note the purpose of Jesus sending God the Holy Spirit. Often times we think that the Holy Spirit is here for us and to do a mighty work in us. However, if we believe Acts 1, than we see that the Holy Spirit is not given to us for us at all. The Holy Spirit is given to us for the world. The purpose of Jesus sending us the Holy Spirit is so that God will spread his Gospel through his people.

The primary way that Jesus equipped his people was the promise of the Holy Spirit. The result of the Holy Spirit coming on them was propelling them into mission. If you have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, you are a christian missionary. No questions asked!!

Spending March w/ Jesus 3-9-2009 "Jesus the Missionary"

Jesus the Missionary

Read Matthew 12

Typically when you think of missionary you think of sending someone oversees to do work in an area in the world that is unreached. That mindset neglects to realize that we are missionaries in our current location. It is not a mistake that in 2009 I live in Greensboro NC. Acts 17 tells how Jesus has ordained our time (When we live) and place (Where we live) in order that people may know him.

That is not just true for us, that was also true for Jesus. Jesus came at the perfect time in all of history. It was his time and place and he lived among the earth as missionary to the Jews. You can see in Matthew 12 how Jesus is constantly teaching the religious crowd and the pagans. He is healing the sick, teaching on the Sabbath, teaching on the resurrection, teaching on Satan and demons. Jesus was being a missionary to his culture.

We are called to do the same. It is our responsibility to teach truth about all of these issues as well. It is our responsibility to heal the broken and teach people about the gospel of Christ.

This was in the Burlington, NC paper this morning:

“A wide – ranging study on American religious life found that the Roman Catholic population has been shifting out of the Northeast to the Southwest, the percentage of Christians in the nation has declined and more people say they have no religion at all”.

“ Northern New England surpassed the Pacific Northwest as the least religious region”.

With Northern New England being the least reached region in America today, I wonder who will God send to join us on the journey of reaching them.

Netcast Church's 3 Core Initiatives

I have been doing a lot of thinking lately about our church plant and how it will be different and unique compared to Boston's typical church culture. Last night Ella was sick so I had a lot of time to just lay there and think. I think that God gave me these 3 things as our emphasis as a church. Everything that we will do as a church should be measured by and enable these three initiatives. I will call them our 3 Core initiatives.

Spiritual Disciplines:
1 Corinthians 9:25-27 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

Spiritual disciplines would include things like but are not limited to personal accountability, scripture memorization, bible reading, sabbath, prayer and solitude, regular repentance of sin, study of scripture, a meaningful time with God daily, listening to podcast, corporate worship.

Every sermon, small group, service project, worship experience, counseling session, etc will have to answer this question. How did this inspire or motivate one to pursue spiritual disciplines?

Engage The Culture
The bible is clear that once a person is saved by Christ, immediately the Holy Spirit comes into their hearts and stirs up a spiritual gift or gifts. That gift is implanted in order for you to Glorify Christ and lead people to him (1 Cor 12-14) Matthew 5:16 says that People will see our good deeds and praise our Father in Heaven. Then in Acts 17 Paul says that God takes us and our gifts and places us in a particular place at a particular time that is determined in eternity past in order that we and others may seek him and know him.

So, in other words, all who are followers of Christ are also missionaries. 2 Cor 5:20 says that we are Christ's ambassadors and he is using us to make his appeal to others. So our job is to engage the culture around us with the intent of Glorifying Christ in doing so. Engaging culture is not rebuking it, but rather becoming like Christ (God incarnated) and embedding ourselves in it. Jesus prayed in John 17 that he is not taking us out of the world but instead leaving us in the world to transform it. That goes for our workplace, the gym, the schools and colleges, the restaurants you enjoy, the after hours networking you do. Everything and Everywhere!!

Every sermon, small group, service project, worship experience, counseling session, etc will have to answer this question. How did this inspire or motivate others to engage their culture as missionaries?

Serve The Community
Matthew 20:27-28 "whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

For anyone to have any influence they first must have moral authority. Moral authority is gained through serving others. Nobody is impresses with a self seeking or self sustaining organization. The organizations who are the most impactful are the ones who are wildly generous. It is my vision that we are a church that is wild about others; That we truly learn what it means to die to self. Jesus has commanded us to love our neighbor as ourselves. We will serve our community by giving our time, money, resources, and lives in order to gain the moral authority to bring the Gospel of Christ into our community. For years the church has lacked in this area, and become a self serving organization rather than a life giving movement to those around them.

Every sermon, small group, service project, worship experience, counseling session, etc will have to answer this question. How did this inspire or motivate others to be a servent and lay their life down for their neighbor?