Lo

It seems to me from the progression of comments that there is a very gradual or little seperation of Gospel Good News (spreading the good news, preaching, “saving”, eternal life, connecting people with Jesus, forgiveness of sins) and being Missional (blessing others, hope for this life, healing and restoration, good works, social action and justice, charity, living life to full, fullness of life)

Can I suggest to view this as a “Coin”. A coin has two sides, heads and tails, though heads looks different from tails they are both part of the “Same Coin”.

You can’t have an order here, i.e.: does being Missional come after spreading the Gospel, Good News and “saving” or does the Gospesl come after being Missional?

There are part of the same “Coin” and asking this question is equivalent to spinning the coin on it’s axis.

The Body as different parts as Anna’s reverse of Epheshian 4 shows, some might feel more on the tail side of the coin some more the head side of the coin, but Jesus is “the whole Coin” and our continual focus on Jesus creates the “Coin” and is the key.

Jesus at the Center, always.

Do we see other NT models for justice in action, apart from the signs and wonders?

On descriptive vs prescriptive, I actually think someone needs to blog on that! Given Wright’s narrative view of scripture, we have a third way to look at all of scripture: it is neither 100% descriptive (as that would make it interesting but irrelevant), nor 100% prescriptive (as that would make it a context-insensitive religious rule book). Rather, all scripture has authority to the degree we can contextualise it and see our life in continuity with the story of scripture, etc. So to the extent that the situation of Acts mirrors our situation, we can learn from it. Something like that…!

I hope you blog about loving our enemies … it is such a radical thought eh?

j

I personally believe that Acts isn’t a model for us today, but is the STORY of the early church. It is descriptive not prescriptive. Therefore it describes what happened when teh church first started and how it moved and progressed. But it doesn’t describe how we are to be chruch now. We can learn, but it isn’t a model, IMHO.

That’s my 2p worth … what do you think?

james

Perhaps a bit tongue and cheek, but do some folks believe Paul messed up, and instead of going to Athens and preaching, he should have simply pitched up at the local soup kitchen? Did the early Apostles focus too much on the Message? I guess part of the problem is that we no longer expect signs and wonders to accompany our message. The Apostles did, and so rather than worrying about social services and counselling they just healed people without further ado! Tensions, tensions, so many tensions…

Firstly, I found the day extremely helpful - I think communication is key, and valued so much the opportunity we were given in discussion groups to voice our passions and also concerns. Thank you! It really felt as though we were all individual parts who made up the Body. I think it’s so important that every member of the church feels a sense of role, that they have a part to play. I guess that’s how you attain true unity.

Secondly, I had the same thoughts as Hannah about the potential danger of us just being ‘nice people’ and also of perhaps becoming dissillusioned as we try and meet the infinite needs of society…it seems as though we could be just simply replicating what local authorities etc already provide? I certainly agree with the other comments that serving and sharing faith need to be held in tension, but surely although physical needs are essential and definately definately shouldn’t be ignored, surely the condition of the soul is ultimately the greatest need? Our lives on earth are temporary…our faith concerns the whole of eternity!

We can say we don’t want to serve with an agenda of conversion, but is it possible to love the person whom we are serving yet not feel a heavy burden to share with them the hope that we have?? Of course we need to be sensitive, and of course we shouldn’t serve only the people who seem to be open, but I would feel (perhaps wrongly?) uneasy if the gospel wasn’t what was primarly driving us, supporting us and sustaining us.

I think there needs to be transparency.

It’s such a difficult issue and I guess discussions can go on and on forever, but I need to get back to work!! haha!! There’s lots of things I need to think about some more (as you can tell from above!!), but those are my intitial thoughts anyway…

Liz

Now that is a vision i get excited about!

I think we need to be careful with this route, as it seems we are subscribing to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. I can’t remember where, but I heard a good critique of this, and think we need to proceed with caution. If not, we could tend to offer Christ last, after every other physchological, emotional, mental, social, domestic and material need has been met. This must surely be held in tension with the idea that the most fundamental need of all is reconciliation with the one true God through the saviour of the world, Jesus Christ.