If you want to make engaging mission much simpler for you (and more fun), try doing something Jesus told you to do:
Love your neighbor.
Do you know why Jesus said to love your neighbor? Because it works.
There is no more effective way to engage real mission than by being with, eating with, and talking with real people who really need the grace and truth of Jesus. By creating this simple context of friendship, we are in a place where we can offer a little grace, a little good news, a little truth when our neighbor needs a cool cup of Jesus’ water.
We make mission so much harder and more awkward when we neglect the simplest ingredient: getting to know our neighbors. What’s their name? What’s their story? What’s Jesus already been up to in their life?
If you say you’re “all-in” for joining Jesus on His mission, it starts with actually loving your neighbor which means hanging out with them. If joining Jesus on His mission seems to be stalled for you or taking a really long time to gain traction, the diagnosis is simple: you probably haven’t gotten around to loving your neighbor yet and hanging out with them regularly.
When Jesus says, “Love your neighbor,” He doesn’t want you to just memorize the words, or discuss it’s meaning in church, or recite it in the original Greek. He wants you to go home and do it.
Again, the reason Jesus says to love your neighbor is because it works. You know why mission isn’t working in many of our communities? Christians are disobeying Jesus. We are not getting to know our neighbor, eating with our neighbor, laughing with our neighbor, mourning with our neighbor, talking about meaningful things with our neighbor. We are not loving our neighbor.
So, let’s cut it out. Let’s repent, believe the good news and go with Jesus to love our neighbor.
How do we get started? Follow the K.I.S.S. method:
Share some food
Share some laughs
Share some stories
Add grace
Repeat regularly
And the Kingdom comes and the will of the Father is done.
Now go have some fun! (Your neighbor needs it.)