MISSION MATTERS | Sparking A Jesus Movement in the Next Generation
I had a fascinating conversation with a friend a couple weeks ago about what the church’s role could be in helping to shape a better common future in our nation.
In the course of this conversation, he said, “The American Church, big C, [due especially to its recent political enmeshments and blatant power-grabbing] scares the hell out of so, so many people right now. And that makes sense to me. It’s like the grim reaper inviting folks over for a dinner party. Nobody wants to go. The Church would like to have some sort of say in the future…but people want the Church as far away from the future, and any shaping of it as possible.”
Equally fascinating when I asked him what sorts of people he thinks most folks want CLOSE to the shaping of our nation’s future, he said, “Generous innovators, maybe?”
It strikes me that we have arrived at a day and age in 1st world Western society where, when people hear the word “church,” they think building or institution….probably one run by grey-haired political bundlers. And I understand wanting nothing to do with that. A political machine wearing the costume of religion sounds terrifying, and certainly something that could not fairly be associated with the person of Jesus and His vision for His body on the Earth.
But what did Jesus envision? What is the church He imagined when He laid down His life for her on a Roman cross supposed to look like according to Christ?
First off, it is something ALIVE, ORGANIC. In John 15, Jesus speaks of Himself as the true vine and His Father as a gardener who preserves and promotes the fruitfulness of the vine. Furthermore, Jesus speaks of His followers as branches that come off of the vine, branches that cannot bear fruit or remain alive apart from their connection to Christ. Elsewhere in 1 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul speaks of the church as the Body of Christ, made up of many people and parts of which Christ is the head. Thus, the church as Jesus imagines it, is a relational entity—connected to Him and connected to each other.
Second, Jesus’ church is FOR the world. In Genesis 12, God made a friendship and a pact with a man named Abram, promising to be Abram’s God and to make Abram’s kids, His people. Along down the line, God would make Abram’s kids into a great nation…but not for their own benefit. Their greatness, and indeed all of God’s investment in Abram was from the beginning SO THAT ALL NATIONS ON EARTH would be blessed! What God did in Abram’s life was ultimately supposed to be for everyone’s good. And so it is supposed to be with the church. In Matthew 28:18, Jesus says He holds all authority in heaven and on Earth, and with that authority He says to His followers “GO into every nation of the Earth to teach, baptize, and bless!” For the Christian, the fruit of faith is not just goodness for me and God but goodness IN me FOR the world God has placed me in. The church’s intimate connection with Jesus is not a grace to be hoarded but always and essentially meant to be given away for the blessing of others: for the healing of the sick, the helping of the poor, and the breaking of chains of oppression and injustice.
Third, the church is meant to bear witness to its Lord. In 1 Peter, the Apostle Peter’s concern for the morality of the Christians scattered in foreign nations was not out of a desire for their moral superiority or a desire to “make them better people.” Rather, Peter’s concern was the belief and the blessing of the nations. The holiness of the Christian was for the good of others: so that others might recognize God at work and give their lives to Jesus as well, in turn being healed and transformed. Jesus’ church is called to be holy, distinct, and set apart from the world. But this holiness should never position the church AGAINST the world as if God and His people were anti-everyone else. Rather, Christian set-apart-ness has always been envisioned by Jesus as a way to bless others and point others toward the Good News of His life, death, and resurrection, and the possibility of accessing that life NOW through faith.
Finally, the church at its best has always been a fellowship of GENEROUS INNOVATORS. In most times and places throughout history, the church has NOT operated from a position of societal privilege or influence. At its best, Jesus’ church has been a persecuted fringe movement, cobbling together meager resources through prayer and generosity to try to complete the task God has called them to. As a scrappy, underdog, the church has had to innovate. Acts 2:42-47 shows the devotion of the early believers to the teachings of the Scriptures, sharing meals and resources together, meeting house to house, and caring for each others’ needs. When plagues swept Rome centuries later, Christians were the ones in the gutters caring for the sick. When Roman citizens exposed unwanted babies to the elements, Christians would adopt them. The Christian belief that God was not Himself a part of nature allowed Renaissance and Enlightenment scientists to study material creation and in so doing make incredible discoveries and advances. 18th century Christians championed health care and education, and Christians in British Parliament were critical to ending the modern slave trade. At its most faithful and fruitful, the church of Jesus has always been a future-making. Chasing Christ with meager resources, believers have found fresh ways forward that have aided surrounding cities and nations with blessing and goodness regardless of belief.
At The Mission Cincinnati, we want the church to become like this again. We are just one little c church. We believe we are a PART of the Kingdom of God in Cincinnati. We’re not the whole story, but we are a part of it. And the role we feel called to play in this next season is to cultivate the types of conditions in our midst where a movement can begin, specifically a Jesus movement in the next generation. In our first sermon series of 2020, entitled “MISSION MATTERS: Sparking a Jesus Movement for the Next Generation” we’ll be exploring what Scripture has to say about God’s heart for the world and how we can become this type of church and spark this type of movement in our city today.
We’d love to invite you to join us! To help us spark a Jesus movement in the next generation. There are many ways to get involved but the best first step is joining us on Sunday mornings for worship at 10 AM at the Evanston Recreation Center (3204 Woodburn Ave. 45207). You’ll meet great people and join in a beautiful service of music, prayer, teaching, and communion. Nursery care and children’s ministry are available each week. You’ll learn about tons of ways to belong in community, grow in your relationship with Christ, serve within the church, and go into the wider world as part of a fellowship of missionaries. We can’t wait to meet you!
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at william@missioncincinnati.org. Also explore our website and learn more about what you can expect from our community.
Grace, peace, and blessings in Christ,
Fr. William