Guest Writer. Sam Turall
You might see this as a “book review” of sorts, but I share these thoughts because it has become a turning point for my thinking about my task as a follower of Christ. This is a different look at reaching the lost, at least for me, an 80-year-old, lifetime professing Christian who really came to life in Christ in 1972, at the age of 31. I have shared Christ countless times through the years but have never truly considered these concepts until now.
Joining Jesus On His Mission – How to Be an Everyday Missionary – Greg Finke
[Note: All quoted texts from the book are used by permission of the Author.]
The book begins in chapter 1 right on point by asking the question, “What’s Jesus up to?” [Mark 1:15]
Greg shares this thought, which clearly sums up my prior sense of my role in “evangelism”:
“So for years, when I thought of myself as being in mission, I had it in my head that Jesus was sending me off for Him … on my own … to do the best I could … which I knew would not be very good at all. I was afraid people would reject me or I wouldn’t know what to say, or worse, I would say something and botch the whole deal for Jesus. What a burden! Can you relate? (for the record, I, Sam, could relate!) But I had it precisely backwards. Jesus wasn’t calling me out to do His work for Him, He was inviting me to come with Him and join the work He was already doing.”
Jesus is on a mission
“Jesus is on a mission. He’s been sent by His Father on a grand adventure to redeem and restore human lives to the kingdom of His Father.” Remember that since His resurrection, Jesus has been, and still is, “on the loose” pursuing the Father’s redemptive mission, out there touching lives, preparing people to be reunited with the Father He loves. That’s what Jesus is up to right now in every one of our neighborhoods. He is inviting us to join Him and be “Jesus with skin on” to those whose lives He has already been preparing.
This is a new “evangelism study” at my Milwaukee Church, Divine Shepherd. Actually, it is not like the specific “targeted” evangelism studies of the past, but rather as the title suggests, learning how to “Join Jesus” in the work that He is already doing. Mostly, it seems to be developing/reinforcing an awareness of who we are in Christ, living the life that He has called us into. That call includes being alert to the people He has us with, and being prepared to “minister” or, perhaps better said, to simply love those we are with, and noticing those who are “ripe” to receive Jesus. By the way, “ripe” simply refers to those whose hearts have already been prepared by Jesus. He is doing the heavy lifting, preparing hearts. We are simply joining with Him!
When the Finke’s start working with people who are ready to become “everyday missionaries”, one of the first questions they ask is, “So how’s Jesus messing with you?” The caveat is to remember is that “messing with you” doesn’t mean, “How is Jesus picking on you?” It means, “How is He messing with your status quo? How is He messing with your presumptions and preferences as a Christian? How is He trying to get your attention?”
Missional Living
They describe “missional living” as joining Jesus on His redemptive mission… living each day as if it were a mission trip. The difference is that we are not on a trip to a foreign land, we are instead on a mission trip to our own community. We are “Neighborhood Missionaries”. The word “missional” is simply a descriptive word indicating that each part of our daily lives can now be seen as part of Jesus’ redemptive mission in our community.
Each of us is in a neighborhood, that being pretty much wherever we are. And we are “neighboring” as we live our lives interacting with others around us. We are part of a “missional community” as we participate in the small group discussions that are part of this process. We are each “neighborhood missionaries” gathering regularly to support each other as we begin to live our lives as if on a “mission trip”.
This is not adding another layer to our already busy schedules. Joining Jesus is something that we do in the midst of that busy schedule. Living missionally simply requires a new mission mindset and to put some new mission practices into play along life’s way. For me, this was very revealing. The pressure of evangelism “programs” of the past has been relieved as I realize that Jesus truly is at work in lives and has been since He “broke out of the tomb”! I don’t have to make work to get people ready to receive Jesus, because He has already been doing that. I just need to accept His invitation to join Him in His mission.
How do we do this?
So how do we do this? How do we get into position to join Jesus every day?
Here is where we begin per the author (The sub-notes are from video #6 in the study notes):
- Seeking the Kingdom
- How do I see God at work?
- Hearing from Jesus
- What has Jesus been teaching me in His Word?
- Talking with people
- What kind of conversations have I been having, especially with those who are not yet Christians?
- Doing good
- What good can I do around here?
- Ministering through prayer
- How can I help you in prayer?
Intentional Living
These are steps that I believe I, and perhaps most of us, have already been practicing… at least a little bit… but never quite put it all together like this study, making it all intentional and consistently ongoing. It has brought so much to the front of my thinking. Typically, I have been approaching evangelism in the “old way” where it was incumbent on me to do the heavy lifting of “preparation” just to assure that it was done. This new, at least to me, process certainly makes sense, knowing that Jesus is “on the loose” out there preparing hearts to be brought into the Kingdom of the Father. My job is to be alert to what He is doing.
One more thought from the author which spoke volumes to me…
What scares you?
“When you think of yourself as a missionary, what scares you? Failure? Rejection? Embarrassment? That you will mess up God’s work? The good news is that Jesus isn’t counting on us to be perfect. He knows we get distracted, selfish, whatever you might think… we blow it, we fail. Think of us like a GPS in your car. You set your destination, get distracted, don’t trust its directions, or for any number of reasons miss your turn.
“What happens then? Failure? Embarrassment? Condemnation?
“RECALCULATING.
“We are not very good at being missionaries, but He is VERY good at being God.
“He’s got this.”
… and we are only just over halfway through studying this concept! So much more in the book!!! Perhaps I will have more to share at a later date…
Be Blessed in Jesus!
We met Sam and Darlene at Divine Shepherd in 1980. Blessed to know them.
Joining Jesus on His Mission
Book and review: https://dwelling114.org/video
We met Sam and Darlene at Divine Shepherd in 1980
An Abbreviated Autobiography By Sam Turall.
Born in 1941 and raised in Cuba, Illinois, I learned integrity and how to work from my Dad, about God from my Mother (also my Sunday School Teacher), and about life from all those who seemed certain they could destroy me with their senseless taunts. An Engineering BS degree from Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy in Rolla, MO, in January 1965 brought me to Milwaukee, WI. I met Darlene in 1966 and we were married in 1967. After joining Darlene’s Lutheran Church, I began to “work” in various leadership roles. But “life” suddenly changed in 1972 when my best friend from college helped me meet Jesus … for REAL. Virtually everything that really mattered to me took on a new meaning. I began to study the Scriptures, led a home fellowship for many years, and ultimately searched for a Church that could challenge me to be the Christian man I knew I wanted to be. We came to Divine Shepherd circa 1980. “Life” is all about that personal relationship with Jesus. My favorite line is, “Real men wear pink, real men cry, and real men love Jesus.”Darlene and I are blessed to now be married 54 years, with 1 Son, 2 Daughters, 3 Granddaughters and 4 Grandsons. I have held most church offices (other than Pastor 😊�), led Alpha, Stephen Ministry, and other Evangelism outreach programs through the years. My passions are Jesus, Family and music. Sam Tural October 15, 2021
