Mission and Development - Part 1
13 05 2007I have been sent a fascinating “paper” by Neil, who thought I might be interested in it following on from the posts on Missional Church, (which I intend to finish this week!). He was right! The paper is from the Micah Network, which draws its name and inspiration from Micah 6:8
“What does the Lord require of you? To act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God.”
The paper gives 10 theological theses on why the church should be involved in the work of social development as part of our mission, defining social development as the “social, cultural, religious, ecological, economic and political activities that consciously seek to enhance the self-identified livelihoods of the poor.”
It is actually a pretty easy read & not too theological (for those of you who get frightened by such words). But it does clearly and excitingly portray the mission of God, and our co-operation with Him in this world we live in. Over the next 10 weeks, each Sunday, I intend to post one of the theological points made in the paper. If you are really impatient, you can download it here!
So Part 1 here …
God’s being and God’s acts are congruent
As a Christian undertaking, development finds its primary theological grounding in our understanding of God. And in doing so, we recognise that God’s being and God’s acts are congruent. In other words, there is a direct relationship between who God is in God-self, and how God relates to the world. This is no philosophical argument, but a statement of faith grounded in the scriptures, most simply in the recognition that because God is love, God acts in loving ways. For Christians, God is the Trinity - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This is a profound conviction that is a statement both about God’s being and about God’s acts. In God’s being, God is a community of love, respect and equity. God is not a solitary person, but a relationship of dialogue and mutuality, in which we understand the Father, Son and Spirit all to have their specific work, but who are nevertheless one.
Now, if this is how we understand God’s very being, then we have a clear picture of how God will act in the world. Our faith is simply this: that God cannot act contrary to who God is. If God is community, dialogue, mutuality, equity - then this is how God is at work in the world.
My comment: I think this is a fundamental understanding. It seems to me that the so much disagreement in the church can be traced back to how we see God, and therefore how we see him acting in the world. God can only act consistently with who He is. I think the ultimate description of God is LOVE (other words are descriptors of what it means for God to be LOVE) and this is how I am now expecting and looking for God to be active in the world.
How do you see God? How do you see God at work in your life and in the world? Is there consistency or inconsistency between these two questions?
Tags: Missio Dei, Missional Church, Micah Network, Development, Mission, Social Development
Hi Rupert, just ‘discovering’ your blog for the first time…you can thank Facebook! i think this point is really fascinating, i think that has to be correct, God cannot be untrue to himself. God is constantly working in me (and everyone i’m sure) changing my small view of him, into a bigger view. for example i have great confidence in God’s faithfulness, whereas half a year ago i don’t think i could have said that with quite so much confidence. I guess that is maturing. i think i don’t yet have the awareness to comment on ‘God in the world’ part. I do think, however that my view of God is often inconsistent with who he actually is, but that God is in fact the consistency in it all. if that makes sense!!
Thanks for visiting my blog, and comment. I hope this won’t be the first and last!
Great comment too … i absolutely agree that is about maturity. i think our view of who God is, is absolutely vital.
One of the things i have been thinking about, along the lines of consistency which you speak about, is do i think God will treat me differently from other people? For me i might think God is kinder to me than i expect him to be towards others. I realise that for others that might be the other way round (God is harder on them, than on others). What do you think?
What i love about the above, is that if God is LOVE, then i would expect him to act according to that LOVE in every situation. of course love may demand that he get angry, or act in justice, or be kind … etc. But behind all God’s actions is LOVE. I love that thought!
God Is love, John 3:16.
Despite my thoughts, actions and behaviour God’s love for me is constant, however because of my inconsistency towards Him I tend to do things my way or if I pray for something and nothing happens, instead of waiting for God to act I take the prayer back and I try to resolve it. My inconsistency towards God prevents me from realising His purpose for me.
God has spoken to me lately about obedience. I know that my inconsistency with Him is really disobedience. I truely love Jesus but I felt God tell me I could express it more. Through His word He shows my disobedience, ‘Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them’. John 14:21
I’ve stopped trying to understand God and I no longer try to put Him in a box. I’m learning to trust Him more and my obedience and love for Jesus gives God the reason to love me even more than the love He already had for me in the beginning.
Thanks Tayna. What a great and comforting though that God is consistent when i am inconsistent!
If I can push back a little: it seems as though you are saying your obedience means that God will love you more? I don’t see it that way: i don’t think there is anything that we can do (good or bad) that causes God to love us any more or less. I can never love my children any more than i do … even when they are good or naughty. I think obedience springs from God’s love for us … because God loves me, i want to do what he wants …
Or have i misunderstood what you were saying?
Hya Rupert, I totally get agree with what you’re saying.
In my mind God loves us all equally, even non-Christians, but what He says in John 14:21 leads me to believe that He has a greater love for those who obey and love Jesus (Christians). What do you think?
Tanya, you’ve raised a good question here, and one I was wanting to comment on. It seems to me that there are different types of love, and that the way God loves his people is different from the way God loves the world in general.
1) We know that God loves the world, because John 3:16 tells us so
2) However the general gist of the entire bible is that God is wanting to draw a people to himself, who will be special in some way, the apple of his eye, his “first born”, and that through them his redeeming love for the world will be manifest. The bible tells us that Israel was that people, but that as a nation they failed to live out that role. Jesus, the perfect Israelite, came as the Last Adam to live the life that Adam and Israel couldn’t live. He was loved by God in every possible meaning of the word. By nature of being united with Christ, Christians are included in this special love, which is revealed to them by the Holy Spirit.
Now the point of this special, faithful, covenant love is not that we are in some way better than non-Christians (perish the thought!), but that we have been chosen, like Abraham was, to bless the nations and glorify God. We are to be a “kingdom of Priests”, and to work with God in redeeming the world. That’s the implication of our special love that we have in Christ.
What do folks think? I’m sure there are other aspects of being included in God’s covenant love (in Hebrew, hesed), but the above is a good starting point.
woow! Good points Tayna and Alastair. Thought provoking stuff …
OK … here’s a thought that expands a bit on Alastairs stuff:
I have two wee boys. I love them both dearly, equally, passionately. I don’t have a favourite, but they do delight me in different ways. Caspar is so adventurous (despite being only 18 months!). Toby is articulate, full of life, loves people (he’s 3 and a bit). BUT Toby will always be my first born - and as such he has a special place in my heart. I don’t love him more than Caspar, but i suppose it different in some ways. I find it really hard to describe, but i wonder if that is similar to how God loves.
I do believe that God loves all people passionately. But i wonder if there is something that God feels more deeply for those in Christ, his firstborn?
As to the verse that you mention Tayna, it is a challenge. I think i interpret that as those who love God will be obedient. I think that our love for God motivates us to do what God wants. It isn’t so God will love us more, but in repsonse to God’s love for us, and our love for God.
I do believe that God loves all people passionately. But i wonder if there is something that God feels more deeply for those in Christ, his firstborn?
Isn’t this something to do with the fact that those in Christ are well, in him? And that the Father is in the Son, and … you know … we are caught up within the Trinity. We are loved from within the Trinity, as opposed to those outside of Christ, who are loved in some way externally…that is…they are not caught up in the love relationship between Father, Son and Spirit…they are loved, but in a way which is not reciprocated by them. Do you know what I mean?
Here’s a tricky one: (assuming you believe in some form of Hell) does God love those who will end up in hell? (I don’t expect any quick answers!). I suppose Calvinists might say that God only truly loves the elect? Any Calvinists around to correct me here?
Yes … good point alastair … i think there is somethign that God acts towards us as he sees Christ when he looks at us (we have been clothed with Christ).
As for you other question, i think that will need to wait for another day…
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