Mission – theological foundations The Mission of God God’s action of reconciliation in the world Church is called to share in what God is doing

Here's where the story begins Creation and Fall – Everything is broken Here's where the story begins

The mission of God The call of God to Abram in Genesis 12: 2, 3  "I will make you into a great nation        and I will bless you;        I will make your name great,        and you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you,        and whoever curses you I will curse;        and all peoples on earth        will be blessed through you."

The mission of God God’s promise to make all things new – Revelation 21: 1 – 5 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” 5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

The mission of God This is accomplished through the death and resurrection of Jesus This deals with our separation from God – Romans 5: 10 It deals with our separation from each other – Ephesians 2: 14 - 16 It defeats evil spiritual powers – Colossians 2: 15 It ultimately reconciles all things to God – Colossians 1: 20

The people who will bless the nations are made up of communities who will bless their neighbours And all over the world these communities are growing – that's the mission of God in process

The new spiritual landscape

The new spiritual landscape – not all bleak

Please share briefly in pairs how you became a Christian How many of us Are from a Christian background? Had a gradual conversion experience? Had a dramatic “road to Damascus” type experience? Had a gradual conversion with several significant events as part of the process? Got converted through Alpha or Christianity Explored?

Evangelism Lack of knowledge of Christian story – so don’t assume Misinformation in the media, misperceptions of Christians – extremes become normative Church is weird and foreign, at least for many

Conversion - Sudden or gradual? Everts and Shaupp Turning to Jesus (IVP) - five stages that converts in Western contexts will move through Trusting a Christian Becoming curious Opening up to change Seeking after God Entering His kingdom

Evangelism So we start further back – see it as a process of accompaniment Apologetics of life Be a blessing in our communities Helping people make sense of spiritual experiences Answering questions others ask Where are the meeting places?

Challenges for leaders Our meeting “places” are likely to be church members - equip the saints for mission (’cause we're not omnipresent) Turning a church out of itself Being in “the world” ourselves Feed our creativity and imagination Generous learning Know who God has made us – Romans 12: 1 - 8

Mission possible ? Mission difficult – be realistic. Mission certain – “I will build my church” – so be expectant and dependent. Mission divine – so prepare to be surprised, and be bold to join in.

And some discussion starters for 10.. What do we see are the natural points of contact our congregations have with their communities? What are some of the groups in our community with which we currently have no or little contact? How might we begin to build bridges? In what ways can we see how our communities can become better because of our presence there? How do we build friendships for the sake of the Gospel without falling into the trap of actually seeing people as “targets” for evangelism?