I’m at the Ecclesia Network Gathering in Chevy Chase MD (Washington DC). I sit on the board here and I highly recommend the Network as a place to land for those seeking a network of support, guidance and energy around all things missional. I’ve been blessed to be around a great gathering of missional church pastors/churchplanters.Dallas Willard is one of the main speakers and his wisdom is permeating the atmosphere. Willard quotes have been flying into the tweetosphere. There’s a live blog here.
Yesterday, at the Q&A, Dallas talked about leading someone into the Kingdom:i.e. missional evangelism. If salvation is essentially being invited into the Kingdom of God inaugurated in Christ’s name (something preached again and again in Jesus name in book of Acts), how do we invite someone in? how do we start? Dallas advised ” we get to know someone well enough to know where the KINGDOM IS AT in their lives.” In other words where is God present in this person to bring redemption, healing, renewal, transformation through him/her submitting to His reign. Is there a brokenness, unreconciliation, an injustice etc. a relationship God’s reign needs to be submited to, opened to? “Get them in motion,” he said, “as quickly as possible. You have to put people in motion. You will notice whenever Jesus encountered someone – he gave them something to do! (Think for instance of the woman at the well, or the cleansed leper…). That’s how we grow – by stepping into the Kingdom of God. Ask people to do something they can’t, or wouldn’t do apart from God’s Kingdom in Christ. He said “Jesus didn’t say I will give you the Holy Spirit and then keep my commandments. He said, keep my commandments and I will send you the Holy Spirit (John 14).” Dallas said, “step into the Kingdom, and the Holy Spirit will be there.” Dallas repeatedly emphasized the theme of Jesus’ promise “I will be with you.”
This notion of “getting people in motion” is a great metaphor. Of course this takes mentoring, coming alongside and living alongisde those not yet walking in the Kingdom. Way back here (at the end of the post) I suggested 5 starting points for getting people into motion into the kingdom. I didn’t put it that way of course. But I probably will now.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
Excellent thoughts and thanks for sharing this. I love the idea of finding the brokenness in someone’s life, or the place where God has been working on them, and challenging them to move into “Kingdom life.” I hope the rest of your time there is as encouraging.
[...] You can read the full blog entry here. [...]
Wow. I love the terminology of “leading people into the Kingdom.” Vivid, precise, thick. But when I think about it, it holds as much potential for ill as for good… depending on how we define “the Kingdom.” If “the Kingdom of God” is a realm inhabited by justified and condemned sinners alike, and we’re simply inviting people to experience the temporal benefits of a world redeemed by the touch of God, then I’m uncomfortable calling it “evangelism” of any form. At the very least, I’m uncomfortable equating it with what Protestants have traditionally meant when using the term “evangelism.” We need to give people a foretaste of the eternal Kingdom here and now, so they will believe the gospel en toto… as well as because it’s the right thing to do. But, the message of God’s wrath and the need and opportunity for forgiveness, i.e., reconciliation with God, must not be obscured or diminished in the least. We would not then gain a thick gospel at all, but an ultimately powerless one.
[...] board member David Fitch had some great reflections from two talks by Dallas Willard – one on Missional Evangelism and the other on [...]
[...] David Fitch (missional evangelism) [...]
[...] Fitch (here and [...]
[...] Fitch here and here, Ben Sternke, J.R. Briggs, Todd Hiestand, Drew Hart, and Geoff Holsclaw. I’ll add [...]
[...] David Fitch gives us some info on the Ecclesia Gathering. [...]
[...] Dallas Willard on Missional Evangelism – Willard at Ecclesia Network National Gathering — David Fitch [...]
[...] Dallas Willard on Missional Evangelism – Willard at Ecclesia Network National Gathering — David Fitch [...]
[...] David Fitch, Dallas Willard on Missional Evangelism [...]