A Missionary-Minded Church

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   This past week, I had the privilege of attending Church Venture Northwest's Annual Enrichment Conference in Seaside. The theme of the speaker's messages centered around redeveloping in the local church a mission-minded culture. This isn't a focus on cross-cultural, overseas missions, as important as that is. It is a focus on regaining a perspective on our local communities with the zeal and mindset of a missionary going into a culture that is not his own.

   In Acts 1:6-8, Luke records Christ's final words before He ascended into heaven, "So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, 'Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?' He said to them, 'It is not for you to know the times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.'" What follows in the Book of Acts is an explosion of growth in the church as the Holy Spirit works in individuals and groups of believers. They faced opposition, hardship, and persecution; yet, in the face of all of this the church keeps gathering and the word of God keeps spreading. 

   The reality is that we live in live in a culture that is different from our own. What do I mean by this? There was a time when it was culturally convenient to identify as a Christian, when we could properly assume a certain amount of biblical literacy, and when extracurricular activities would be scheduled around the priorities of church events. As we all are seeing, this isn't the case anymore. We are not the cultural influencers any longer; we are the cultural outsiders. We have been given the commission to be witnesses to the message of hope that comes to us through Christ Jesus, His life, death, resurrection, and ascension. The same Holy Spirit that empowered the early church still empowers us today. Let us go forth as witnesses of Christ through the power of the Spirit.