So far in this series, I’ve covered the four habits of highly missional people─ using the acronym BELLS─from Michael Frost’s book, Surprise the World!. These weekly habits include: Bless, Eat, Listen, and Learn. The final habit is to begin identifying yourself as a missionary ─ a Sent one. Frost encourages journaling to reflect how you either demonstrate or announce (describe it, explain it, advocate for it, champion it) God’s universal reign.  

Our English term mission (from Latin missio) means “to send; to be propelled outward”. In the past, this word has been used almost solely to describe someone who travels overseas to spread Christianity. Frost notes that in more recent years we’ve adopted the term to describe all Christians who attempt to glorify God in their daily lives. We are not all called to be evangelists, but if our mission is to alert others to the universal reign of God through Christ, then all believers should see themselves as missionaries.

Trailers are tasters, short film versions of the soon-to-be-released feature, and they usually include the best special effects or the funniest scenes or the most romantic moments depending on the film of the upcoming feature. Now, watch those around you in the theater at the end of each trailer. If it has done its job, usually one person will turn to the other and say, “I want to see that movie.” This is a great metaphor for the missional church. If it does its job well, people will see what it does and say, “I want to see the world they come from.”

Michael Frost

So what does the reign of God look like? As believers, what exactly are we to point others toward? N.T. Wright proposes the following objectives. The way in which we carry out these objectives will vary, but the manner in which we speak and act always needs to be covered in God’s love and grace. Otherwise, we do more harm than good (1 Corinthians 13).

Reconciliation

Reconciliation between God and humankind is the foundation of Christ’s work on the cross. We see this concept woven into Scripture: reconciliation between slave and free, Gentile and Jew. We are instructed to announce reconciliation and demonstrate it. The more we write/journal on how we are agents of reconciliation, the more we will become aware and live it out.

Justice

Christians have a history of living out the Scriptural admonition to defend and uphold the well-being of all people, especially the powerless and poor. Past leaders have campaigned for prison reform, labor reform, the abolition of slavery, and the temperance movement. Leaders such as Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Desmond Tutu, Dorothy Day, John Stott, and Jim Wallis have more recently committed to antipoverty, antiwar, environmental, and immigration causes.

Today, there are many ways we can demonstrate God’s reign through justice: fight homelessness, eliminate sex trafficking, promote fair-trade products, campaign for clean water, or some other specific cause. Many Christians in my church have fostered and/or adopted disadvantaged children. Whether signing an online petition, donating to a cause, or inviting a disadvantaged person into your home, begin journaling ways God has sent you to promote justice this week.  

Beauty

Where do you often feel closest to God? Is it inside a beautiful cathedral? Maybe music or art leaves you with a sense of wonder. Do you sense His presence in the mountains or on the beach? For me, being outdoors reminds me not only of God’s power and creativity, but also that He is the author of true beauty who wants to share His creation with me.

Rudolph Otto, a German theologian listed some responses associated with an awe-encounter with God: a sense of majesty, unapproachability, a feeling of fascination, including both fear and attraction. The feeling that we are important enough to be invited to encounter the Holy, but in its presence are overwhelmed and made aware of our smallness. We need these paradoxical frightening, yet comforting experiences that usher in God’s reign. Consider how you can invite your friends to encounter God’s beauty.

What are your gifts and abilities? Can you create beautiful music, art, craft and/or food and invite others to join you? How can we alert others to the universal reign of God through Christ by an observation of His creation and personally creating expressions of beauty? Remember to write it down.

Wholeness

Jesus healed the lame, the lepers, the blind, and the deaf─even raised the dead─as proof of God’s kingdom coming in glory (Luke 7:22). So wholeness, the healing of broken people, is key proof of His reign today. Beyond the important work of doctors, nurses, psychologists, and counselors, Christians also usher in God’s reign when they provide emergency relief for natural disasters and/or help repair a broken marriage. Is there someone you can pray for supernatural healing? When we see God’s restoration, record it as a reminder of His great work.

Weekly Challenge

• Bless three people, at least one of whom is not a member of your church.
• Eat with three people, at least one of whom is not a member of your church.
• Listen – Spend at least one period of the week listening for the Spirit’s voice.
• Learn – Spend at least one period of the week learning Christ.
• Sent – Briefly journal throughout the week all the ways you alerted others to the universal reign of God through Christ.

I wouldn’t be surprised if heavenly bells chime along with angelic chorus when we attempt even one of these following disciplines! Wishing you a wonderful week!