Our gospel identities work themselves out in the stuff of everyday life. Every event of our lives becomes an opportunity for gospel formation and gospel mission. We are called and sent to be the church – the people of God – everywhere, all the time. Instead of passively experiencing life, we are to actively engage the world around us for the sake of God’s mission and glory.

This is what we mean when we talk about gospel-centered missional living. As a church community, we live missionally by observing the actions of living out and inviting in.

LIVING OUT:

We live out the gospel as people immersed in the culture around us.
Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. – 1 Peter 2:12

Too many of us (Christians) have fallen victim to separatism, choosing to isolate ourselves from the world and adopting an adversarial relationship to culture. This leads to a weak and anemic form of Christianity that prides itself on being distinct from the world, but has lost credibility and common ground and is therefore incapable of displaying the gospel in relevant ways.

The gospel empowers us to live as God’s “sent” people (John 17:18) – missionaries within our own culture. We are shaped by our culture, but not defined by it. We do not isolate ourselves from the world; instead we seek to engage the world around us for the glory of God and the good of humanity.

We practice the rhythm of living out by:

• Loving, blessing, and serving our neighbors in the culture
• Listening to the questions, objections, and concerns people have about God
• Hanging out “where people are” – joining the celebrations going on around us
• Paying attention to the dominant stories that have shaped the people we know, so we can learn how to tell God’s story in relevant and engaging ways
• Giving generously and sacrificially to meet the needs of others

INVITING IN:

We invite others into community so they can experience the gospel as they sojourn among us.
Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Jesus to listen to Him. The Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” – Luke 15:1-2
Jesus welcomed anyone who was interested in learning from him. He hung out with people who didn’t fit the religious mold. He regularly shared meals, conversations, and life with others, inviting them to encounter the kingdom of God. In the same way, we invite others into community so they can experience the gospel among us (not just hear it from our lips).
In our cultural setting, many people have become jaded toward the message of Christianity. They are not willing to hear about God unless they can see the kingdom of God in action. So we encourage them to journey alongside us and observe how the gospel affects our patterns of living, relating, working, and worshiping. Anyone who’s curious about Jesus can sojourn among us, no strings attached. We’re not trying to get people to just come to church. We’re looking to be the church among them.

We practice the rhythm of inviting in by:

• Practicing hospitality (opening our homes and lives to others)
• Eating meals together
• Cultivating generosity
• Loving and serving those around us
• Gathering together in community groups
• Living in repentance and faith (being open and honest about our sins and shortcomings)
• Welcoming sojourners and skeptics to belong in our community – even if they don’t believe yet