Mission Marker #3 - Fluent In The Good News

This is week three of using the Overflow to add to Faith Baptist's Mission Edge Church process by reflecting on the six "mission markers" we've been studying on Sundays. If you missed the message about being Fluent In The Good News you can watch or listen to that through these links.

A big emphasis in Mission Marker #3 is on thinking through and being ready to speak about what I called your "faith story." I could have used the word testimony instead of faith story, the idea is pretty much the same. You talk about what convinced you to follow Jesus and/or why you continue to believe. The only reason I didn't use "testimony" is that I think it is associated with a longer presentation of a person's journey through life in a church setting. It doesn't have to mean that, but it's what a lot of people imagine. When I say "faith story" I'm thinking of something that could be just a few sentences that quickly covers why you believe in a way that might encourage another person to take Jesus seriously. It should stand on its own if it's the only thing you get to say on the subject, but it could also open a door to more conversation.

A faith story may sound quite different depending on your audience. If I were speaking to someone with no knowledge of Jesus or the Bible whatsoever I would approach it very differently from someone who had given up on faith due to a bad religious experience, for example. One person may be interested in the intellectual side of Christianity - does it really make sense? Another may care much more about the practical effect of living it out - does it really work?

So here's a repeat of this week's challenge/homework: prepare and practice your faith story. Try writing down some reasons you find value in following Jesus, or experiences that have strengthened your faith. Practice expressing some of these out loud or in your head. Use that shower and driving time. Here are a few statements that are true for me and easy to remember or share:

Following Jesus has given me a sense of purpose in my life - I know that I matter and can do things that make a positive difference in the world.

I've found the Bible does a really good job of explaining what is wrong with people and the world, and how God can help us overcome these things.

Jesus teaches a good way to live and helps people actually do it. I'm convinced that following Jesus has helped me be more loving, compassionate, and wise. I believe this has made me better at being a husband, father, and everything else that I am!

Your faith story might be different. Maybe it's built on a particular experience you've had. Maybe you started on a very different path and found a compelling reason to change course. Give some thought this week to what it would sound like to share some of your faith story.

In Sunday's message I also shared some answers to the question What Is A Christian and How Do I Become One? This was the question that Greg Jones sent to a variety of pastors, missionaries, scholars, and church leaders and asked them to answer as though they only had a few minutes to talk to someone. I'm going to put a few more here, because they are helpful examples of how to summarize the core of our faith in a way that is easy to understand.

One thing I really liked about reading all the answers is that many of them come from outside of my Atlantic Baptist family, including from Anglican and Catholic leaders, but I wouldn't have been able to tell if their names and positions weren't listed. There is at least as much variety in all the answers from my tradition as there is between people of different denominations. But when it comes to the core of what we believe following Jesus looks like there is an awful lot in common. Here are a few more examples that may be interesting or helpful to you:

What is a Christian, and how do I become one? I’m not sure I’ve ever met a real Christian. That term comes from the idea that a human being would be identified as a “Little Christ” or someone who lives and loves like Jesus of Nazareth in such a way that their lives are intertwined and almost indistinguishable. I’m more comfortable with the language of E. Stanley Jones, “I know many Christians-in-the-making.“ I consider myself to be one. And what that means for me is someone who has encountered and submitted their life to Jesus Christ. This is a daily journey of denying our own selfish impulses, which are often contradictory to Jesus’ way of selfless love.

Jesus came to me on the floor of a jail cell, I had essentially burned down my life and had nowhere left to go. I felt his presence and he spoke to me, not in an audible voice, but certainly a voice I could hear. My whole life as a street kid and an orphan I had accepted the title “bastard.” Jesus called me his “beloved child.” Every day since then I’ve been doing my best to live in relationship with Jesus, and listen for his voice. I just encourage you to find a safe quiet place when you have a chance, really try to tune out all the chatter of the world, and invite Jesus to talk to you and see where it goes! Depending on how that conversation works out, I would encourage you to find a church nearby, you can Google them, they are everywhere. Find one that seems interesting to you, call the pastor, ask them the same question you asked me and see what they say.

From Rev. Dr. Michael Beck – Director of Re-Missioning for Fresh Expressions US and Cultivator of Fresh Expressions for the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church.

What is a Christian, and how do I become one?

A Christian is someone who lives their life modeled after Jesus – they strive to be people of Hope and Good News that God loves them. As followers of Jesus, we believe that living our lives the way He lived involves caring for those around us. We aren’t meant to live in isolation or fending for ourselves, we are called to come alongside those around us – celebrating the good and suffering with the bad.

Our relationship with God means that we are connected to the One who created us. The Bible tells us that He breathed life into us and that He knew us even before we were born. God wants to be in relationship with us – so much so that the Father, sent His son Jesus to live among us so that we could see the life He intended for us.

We are still human and broken people. Our lives do not automatically become perfect, because we are not perfect. But through our relationship with God and each other, we learn to walk with each other. His desire is that we would have a full life.

When I became a Christian, I knew that the “thing” I was searching for was found – that hunger was satisfied. And because of this, the difficult days have been easier, the challenges can be put into perspective and I know that I’m not walking it alone.

From Shawn Branch, licensed evangelist with the Anglican Church of Canada

What is a Christian, and how do I become one? War. Racism. Pain. Death. Loneliness. Famine. Shame. Sin. Disease. We know the world is broken, not as it was intended to be – and it needs to be set right. And despite technological advances we cannot rescue ourselves from the pain and brokenness.

What humanity needed was (and is) shalom –wholeness, rightness, restoration back to goodness. The good news is that God, who created this world, has initiated a hope-filled, cosmic rescue plan – enacted and fulfilled in and through the life, death, and resurrection of his son Jesus Christ – in order to redeem all of creation.

Jesus ushered in a new kingdom – the rule and the reign of God – marked by grace, justice, love, and hope. We are all kings and queens of our own kingdoms/queendoms, anything by which we exert our “reign” over (our house, our bank accounts, our cars, etc.). Jesus invites us to transfer our kingship to his kingship.

Anyone at any time who rethinks their way of life and submits to King Jesus by acknowledging God’s kingdom of love - available right now. This impacts everything – our individual lives and the entire world. Jesus, sent by God the Father, is here to heal, redeem, reunite, rescue, and put back together what has been broken.

This invitation of grace and forgiveness is free, accessible, and available to anyone - regardless of background, age, ethnicity, gender - through the work of Christ through fully surrendering our kingdom to his, and through a hopeful, life- long commitment to learn from Jesus how to live in the new reality of the rule and the reign of God. Redemption. Renewal. Reunion. Restoration. Reconciliation. It really is good news.

From Rev. Dr. J.R. Briggs - National Trainer and Equipper for Fresh Expressions US, Founder and President of Kairos Partnerships

What is a Christian, and how do I become one?

To be a Christian is to know that there is a God who is worthy to be worshiped and that He has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ. To know this God and worship Him, I have to acknowledge 1) that I have ignored Him most of my life and chosen to do my own thing, and 2) that the only way to know this God is through Jesus Christ. As I read about Jesus in the Bible, I see that He forgives people for them ignoring God or for their rebellion against Him. I see Him healing, answering prayer, and providing for the needs of people. Jesus reveals what God is like – that He is not a God who is distant and unconcerned, but a God who is deeply concerned about each of us. In fact, the Bible refers to Jesus as Immanuel – meaning God who is with us.

To become a Christian is to know this God personally, and I would need to acknowledge Jesus is God and submit to His authority and leading in my life.

From Rev. Dr. Rupen Das - President of the Canadian Bible Society and Professor at Tyndale University in Ontario

What is a Christian, and how do I become one?

A Christian is someone who takes seriously the historical reality of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as “God with us,” and accepts his invitation to “Follow me.” Being a Christian means accepting that God desires his Creation to flourish, yet people often hurt the natural world, and one another. Christians believe that through dying on the cross and being raised to life, Jesus showed God’s love to us in the midst of our brokenness, and made a way for all creation to be rightly related to God again. Jesus is working through his Spirit to make all things new; death gives way to life, enemies are friends, communities thrive, the poor know God’s favour, and we can be agents of hope for the world. Being a Christian gives us a new relationship with God and fresh perspective and priorities. We are given a renewed sense of purpose and meaning.

If you want to become a Christian, start by simply talking to Jesus. Tell him you want to follow him. Confess your failures, accept his love. Ask him for the courage to live your life according to his agenda and not your own. This is not easy, but you will be encouraged as you connect with Christians in a local church, and as you read the Bible, starting with the gospel of Luke. Tell others about the great things you are learning and keep talking to God every day.

From Rev. Dr. Anna Robbins - President of Acadia Divinity College in Wolfville, NS

What is a Christian, and how do I become one?

To be a Christian means to be a follower of Jesus, but not as one would follow a philosopher or historical teacher. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that he died for us and rose from the dead. This means that he is alive and that I cannot just know about him but that I can know him personally and intimately just as I can know that I am known in the same way. Through Jesus I can know God fully and experience right now the salvation he offers. This salvation is not just about where I will go after I die, but being saved from myself, my own failures, my brokenness and experiencing God’s forgiveness for the things that I have thought, said and done that are wrong.

To follow Jesus means that he lives in us and calls us to manifest his presence in the world, so that our world can become a bit more heavenly. In the Bible we are even called his ambassadors. If you would like to learn more about becoming a Christian and joining the community of his followers that is called the Church I would love to help you find a church that runs a program called Alpha. It is a wonderful way to learn more about God’s love and to answer many of your questions. It will also help you take the next step.

From Father James Mallon, Pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Dartmouth, NS