Issues
Church and Mission
God has a purpose in the world - to bless all nations through his kingdom, inaugurated in Christ. His church is called to be both an outpost of the kingdom of God on earth, and the mediator of his kingdom to a needy world. What does this mean in reality?
- How should we be doing church to come into line with God's purpose for the world? What is mission and what part should it play in the identity and life of the church? How much are we shaped by the xenophilic nature of the love of God, which is so essentially other-centred?
- To what extent do we as the church reflect the values and life of the kingdom of God? How does the gospel relate to our cultural context in the way we live as Christians, in the way we do church, and in the way we pursue mission?
- What should our priorities be, faced with a world where millions live without access to the knowledge of Christ, and where oppression, injustice, poverty, and suffering are so rampant? How does this reality challenge our lifestyle, our church subculture, and decisions about what we buy and how we vote?
I believe that the church in the west needs to benefit from such a challenge. My hope is that the stories, reflections, and rants of this site will contribute to the discussion and outworking of how we as the church of Christ live out God's purpose in his world.
Thinking about Church and Mission
The church is missionary by its very nature. It is not only the recipient of God's blessing, but God's agent to bring that blessing to the world.
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The Xenophilic God
God is a xenophile.
And, of course, John 3:16 is a wonderful summary of just how xenophilic he is.
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The State of the Nations
The world still stands in need of good news.
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It is a world hungry for God. People seek God and his salvation, yet millions have never heard the good news that God has provided that salvation in Christ.
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It is a world of inequality. Billions live in poverty and suffering while others even profit from their misery.
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