In reference to one of the most read posts at the blog Bret asks:
Chris,
When referencing Jesus’ path through Identity, Mission and Community you said: “The Father affirmed the identity of Jesus at His baptism. Jesus then had clarity in His mission. (anointed to preach good news…) Jesus then built community to go after the mission.”I’m especially focused on the last sentence. “Jesus then BUILT community…” That’s an active phrase painting a picture of Jesus intentionally forming a community that fed his mission. In other areas of your posts I see this phrase, which seems to be your tag line so to speak (correct me if I’m wrong in this assumption): “Secure identity opens up clear mission which attracts community.” In this approach it seems community will naturally happen or is a natural result of when one is secure in his/her identity and has a laser focus on mission.
Is it one or the other; proactive or passive, intentionally pursued or a natural result of? Or as most things is it probably a combination of both?
Thank you for your thoughts,
Bret
My reply:
Nice catch of the nuance. Definitely combination of both. It is attracted and then built. The disciples would’ve had awareness of Jesus (the sovereign grace of the Father and the social movement of His ministry) but Jesus had to call them out and pour into them.
The best way to build community is to have the health that comes from a secure identity that drives the mission. The health of the leader’s identity being in Christ and the resulting clarity of the mission will attract and then disciple from overflow.
Your question is great and shows a rapid understanding of the framework I’m arguing for.
Thanks for the great question
Love this discussion as I am big believer in not focusing on the bi-product. Our actions as a body of believers will create community which will either attract or repel those who come into contact with it. If our mission is righteous, it should reflect something that others would want to be involved in. We don’t have to get the horse before the cart.
I agree, Tony, that our general mission of pursuing Christ will naturally be attracting or repelling to others. We should be focused on the pursuit, not the result of the pursuit (attract/repel others).
What about in our specific mission though? Is it the same approach? Will your specific mission (i.e. Chris’s specific mission is identity formation, others may be something else) have this same natural bi-product of attracting community or should we proactively seek out and build community to feed our mission (as Chris alluded to Jesus doing)?
I think it’s a little of both. I agree with your point that we shouldn’t “get the horse before the cart”; we shouldn’t go after the community before having the identity and mission. I also think there will come a time when we need to recruit to the mission.
I think a secure identity is naturally appealing to people and I think a laser-focused mission is also naturally attractive. But (a) I think there are times we need to proactively recruit to our mission for the mission’s sake, however (b) there are also times we need to guard against those who lack a secure identity and are solely attracted to ours or our mission, for their sake and ours.
Thoughts?
Chris, any affirmation or pushback?
I don’t know that Christ’s mission was ever about ‘creating community’. He told pilot in John cahpter 17 that He came to be a witness to the Truth. He poured His teaching’s into 12 men and called them to love each other as He had demonstrated.
I would venture to say that Christ’s true community didn’t begin until after the Holy Spirit appeared on the day of Pentecost. Christ had given instruction that it was to their benefit that He leave so that this could happen. It was that power that led to the community that was created in Acts chapter 2… the community that attracted people.
Great question. Would be fun to sit around a cup of coffee and hash it out.
By the way, I also agree with you that community being a natural bi-product doesn’t preclude the community from protecting itself from ‘wolves in sheep clothing’ or edifying each other through the service of each member’s gifting.
Love the discussion.
Here’s my thoughts:
1. Yes we do have to protect others from those whose false self causes a pursuit of false mission even if they are linked with us in our mission. However protecting others from their false pursuit doesn’t mean we don’t let theirs play out. Think Jesus with Judas.
2. There are lots of references to Christ’s mission. To seek and to save, gather the chicks, convict, etc. But all of these are IMMEDIATE readings. We need to do an immediate reading of Scripture. In others words what is the immediate implication of this text.
3. We also need to do ULTIMATE readings. There aren’t many immediate readings of Trinity in Scripture but the ULTIMATE reading is there. I see the mission of God as ULTIMATELY creating mankind to experience the joy/intimacy/glad surrender/mutual indwelling of Trinitarian community. We are created for this eternal communal dance. Christ’s mission reflects God’s heart to rescue and redeem us for this community. Idenity/Mission/Community. It’s a process I see in the Trinity and and the development of Christ.
Did I miss anything you guys brought up? Right on Tony. This would be a blast over coffee. Bret you’ll have to come to Cbus.
Ha.. I just realized I typed “Horse before the Cart”… that is funny.
I realized I typed Jesus wants to gather chicks. I know the reference I had in mind (Mt 23) but more explanation would have been better : )
Ha.. totally didn’t catch that as offhand…. but now that you mention it… I am totally giggling.
I just wanted to say great discussion
and because you’ll be at the retreat our conversations and experiences around these truths will be epic! It is so life changing.
Wow. A lot has been added overnight. This is good stuff. I’ll try to chime in in a couple of places with the understanding and agreement that a more full discussion would be better in person. I’ll make it back to the Midwest some day soon and we’ll make it happen, but winters are much nicer in Phoenix!
First, in response to your thought, Tony: I agree that Jesus’ direct mission probably wasn’t to create community, although I like Chris’s ideas on the ultimate reading of the Trinity and us being called into that kind of relationship**. But I also do think Jesus recruited/built community to his mission (the disciples), attracted community because of his secure identity and laser-focused mission (the multitude of crowds who gathered and those who hosted him), and repelled community (sent people home after healing them).
Chris, I really like your reference to Judas and how Jesus let his identity formation play out while taking part in Jesus’ mission. This is supplementing another concept I picked up yesterday. I’m going to keep playing with this one.
**I like Chris’s ideas on the ultimate reading of the Trinity and us being called into that kind of relationship. Can we come full circle here and say that “communal dance” is the bi-product or “secondary” mission of God? The first being a secure identity/wholeness in Him, which leads to a focused mission which results in community. Ahhh, Chris, I think you’re on to something here!
Boom. Boom. and Boom. Thanks for chiming in Bret.
Holy Community…. I like it!