For this week's "Missional Monday", I want to do some re-capping and some practical points from the SCATTERED Conference this weekend and from Robby Dawkins' message this weekend.  

If you were not able to be there, you really missed a GREAT weekend of people being equipped to go out and do the stuff of the Kingdom... by praying that sick would be healed, sharing words of knowledge, etc.  The Kingdom of God was extended all over Lancaster & Fairfield County this weekend and people received healing, encouragement and experienced the love of God.  Even though that stuff was AWESOME... the GREATEST thing was that 150 or so people where obedient to step out of the boat and go pray healing for and to step past their comfort zones, to take RISK and in some cases even strikeout.  But for those that kept swinging for God to show up... we were rewarded to see God show up.  

Some things that I wanted to share with you today are some of what Robby shared with us and thoughts I had from a missional perspective... remember missional means that we are living as God's people on mission to make the Kingdom of God tangible to everybody around us... no matter where we are.  

I know that for many people the stuff that we have shared on Missional Monday, may be scary for you.  For some, this expectation may even be new for some people that have been church most of their lives. 

I get that and know where you are coming from, BUT... like Robby said that... "Having FAITH in God, It all boils down to RISK... you gotta take RISK.  It is not about our attitude, how many prayers we have... it is about us taking RISK & stepping out.  It is us stepping out into something hard for it to be real risk." The more RISK it takes for us to go out and pray for people... the more FAITH it takes on our part.  If it takes low faith to do so something... then it also means there is little & no risk.  It is about our availability to go and taking a RISK... the more the RISK... the more it opens for God to show up.  Robby also said... "It is going to take us setting our selfishness aside and for us to be available to be used by God and for us to make sure that God gets glorified in what we are doing.  

Robby's church does outreach all the time to the gay bars of their community, and he said, "the darker the atmosphere, then more of an opportunity there is for the Holy Spirit to show up."  When you go to the darkest places around you... it gives you more opportunity for the light of God to shine.

If you are like me, I work for a pretty godless company.  Some times it seems like they almost look for new ways to go against the things of God.  It is a pretty dark place.  Or maybe, where you live at or maybe your kids' school is a dark place... it doesn't appear that God has any light in some of these areas in your life?  

Here are some quick things to remember:

• Low RISK... no FAITH
• High RISK... HIGH FAITH
• When you go to the darkest places around you... it gives you more opportunity for the light of God to shine. 

So here are some practical steps & thought for you to ask yourself this week and to seek out to do:

• This week, what does missional mean for you?  Who, what, where and how will you make the Kingdom of God tangible this week?  
• What is going to take great FAITH & RISK on your part to go and bring the Kingdom of God this week?  
• Where is the darkest place, darkest life that needs you to shine the light of Jesus this week?  
• Who is it you are going to pray for healing this week?  

I would love to hear your stories?  Email me any stories from your adventures!

malcolm [at] maljr[dot]com

What some of you don't know or is that my family & have been in mission work & ministry for about 8 years.  Today, I am director of our church's outreach ministries.  One of things I want to do is to give you the tools, to equip you to make the Kingdom of God tangible right where you are at home, at work, at the football games, your kid's events and so on.  We want you to be equipped to make God's presence real in the lives of people around you. 

In Hugh Halter' & Matt Smay's book Tangible Kingdom, they address the fact that in America today attendance in American churches is dropping drastically.  In the 1920's & 30's, they say that America was considered about 80% of the population was attending church at least once a month and claimed Jesus as their Savior.  Today, it is said that less than 20% of America's population is considered churched and in the next 20 years... that number is going to be less than 10% if we do not change the way we have always done and view outreach & evangelism in the church.  By these numbers, America is now considered the 4th largest mission field in the world. 

Matter-of fact, America at one time funded & sent more missionaries to other countries than anybody else.  Today, those countries are now sending missionaries back to the United States. 

You may have heard the word missional used at different times around the church... for most people, this is a new word that many don't understand what it means, but also depending on your background you can get any number of different meanings.  For many people... it is describing the actions of a missionary or a person sent by God. 

Here at Lancaster Vineyard, for us, this word simply means God's people living on mission to make the Kingdom of God tangible wherever we are.  We see ourselves as missionaries to Lancaster, Fairfield County & beyond. 

This simply starts with loving the people that God has brought into your life.  Each Monday, on Missional Mondays, I am planning on sending out some practical steps for you to be missional that will include blog posts, videos, resources from other sites, etc. 

FOR THIS WEEK... our Missional Monday practical step is to love people the way Jesus loved them: 

• This includes loving those that are not like us
• This includes loving the unsaved co-worker
• This includes loving the annoying neighbor
• This includes loving those that get on your last nerves...
• Simply put ask God to increase your ability to love people the way He loves them.  Remember, God loved us enough to send Jesus to die for us... He sent his best so we could experience God's presence here on earth.  SO GO LOVE PEOPLE!

HERE IS A PROMISE... NEXT WEEK WON'T BE SO LONG. 

Now GO love somebody