(All of my posts from Renov8 will be at this page. Refresh (and comment) often.)
Anthony Brown (bio) is the Director of Education for Forge and also teaches at Regent College.
The mission is God’s, not ours. This has been repeated throughout the conference, at every session I’ve been at so far.
Brown led us through Luke 9:1-11 to find basic principles/foundations of Christian mission.
In this passage Jesus gives the twelve power and authority, sends them, and instructs to take nothing. They do as he says.
The ministry Jesus gives them is indistinguishable from his own. He doesn’t give them a mission; he invites them into his mission. (Echoes of Eugene Peterson)
We need to ask: Does the mission we engage in look the same as the mission of Jesus or have we found missions for ourselves that look nothing like the mission of Jesus.
We are called to do the same work as Jesus in the world. The mission is his, not ours. Our mission is not growth or to keep the doors open. We don’t mind accepting a mission from Jesus, but we want to do it our way. When we do this we’re not really participating in his mission. Be willing to do it, and also to do it his way.
Mission is always communal. He calls them together, gives them a mission; they return as a group. We’re not supposed to be free agents pursuing our own missions, checking in with each other every once in a while; we are supposed to engage Jesus mission as a group of disciples. The only togetherness we experience is once a week at our Sunday gatherings.
The love of God must be proclaimed in both word and deed. All injustice is demonically inspired. Demonic deliverance can be social, economical etc.
He instructs the twelve to distinguish themselves from other teachers… don’t take funds or clothing or food, rely on God’s provision, don’t seek earthly rewards as part of the mission. How can we call others to trust in God if we don’t really trust God ourselves to provide our daily bread? His restrictions were designed to draw them closer to God, to trust him fully.
So much outreach is powerless because we don’t truly trust God… while we implore others to do so. If we are to be a foretaste of the kingdom, to show a better life, the kingdom way, we must live our lives together with them.
It is important to ACCEPT hospitality, especially when extended by those who are seeking God. Their success depended on the hospitality of those to whom they were sent.
Re: following Jesus, are you the chicken or the pig? The chicken makes a contribution, but the pig gives everything. As Christians we are to give everything, not just what we can easily produce again.
The message must be clear; people must know that there is a decision to be made, but we are not to retaliate if they reject Christ.
“The gospel is meant to provoke a public response because it is public news.”
In V1 they are called “the twelve”; in v10 they are called “the apostles” – mission transforms us into “sent ones”. We must engage in mission if we want to be conformed to the image of Christ. We can only discover our identity by following him into mission.
This was a rich hour of Bible teaching with relevant application. I like this guy.
