How Do You View Missions?
I was reading through some old blog entries and I found an interesting quote from a post I did on the book Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell:
“Missions then is less about the transportation of God from one place to another and more about the identification of a God who is already there. It is almost as if being a good missionary means having really good eyesight. Or maybe it means teaching people to use their eyes to see things that have always been there; they just didn’t realize it. You see God where others don’t. And then you point him out…So the issue isn’t so much taking Jesus to people who don’t have him, but going to a place and pointing out to the people there the creative, life-giving God who is already present in their midst.” [Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005)]
My thoughts as I read this…
- 1. What a beautiful way to look at missions!
2. Missions may not be about the “transportation of God,” but transportation sure has a lot to do with missions!
3. I agree that the core of missions is identifying the God who is already present in that place. Places differ. Cultures differ. People groups have different family dynamics, socio-economic backdrops, cultural norms, and spiritual traditions. Therefore, “pointing [God] out” differs from place to place (i.e. what works in Nicaragua may not work in North Carolina; and vice versa). But he’s still the same God. He doesn’t change.
4. I do not think you need “really good eyesight” to be a “good missionary.” In my experience — especially in Latin America — most people have no trouble “seeing God” in their surroundings. One of the advantages of serving in Nicaragua is that most people are very spiritual and can’t imagine that God does not exist. The challenge is teaching that God wants a personal relationship with people, not just rituals, ceremonies, and religiosity. Spirituality is the easy part (here). “Personal relationship” and good doctrine are hard.
Those are a few of my thoughts. What do you think about this excerpt? What makes a “good missionary?” What defines “missions” to you?
