Missional Living in a Complex World, Part 2 2

Last week’s post addressed the nature of missional living and what was required to live missionally.  Also, here is my presentation from last week’s CORE Conference.  Even if you did not hear the presentation, much of the information on the slides should make sense to you.

Today, I want to share six principles for missional living from Colossians 4:2-6.  Study this passage, and feel free to use my outline when teaching others.

1.  Missional Living Must be Done Prayerfully (3b)

We need to pray for opportunities to connect with people and share the gospel with them.  Paul desired prayer for such opportunities.  We must also trust in God to open such doors for the message.  We need to pray for opportunities, words to speak, and for open hearts to the good news.

2.  Missional Living Must be Done with Gospel Clarity (3c-4)

The mystery of the gospel has been revealed; now we must clearly communicate such truth to others.  Our language (and actions) must be understood.  We are to watch our language, and constantly be asking, “How are they ‘hearing’ what I am communicating by my words and deeds?”

3.  Missional Living Must be Done Wisely (5a)

Literally, we are “in wisdom, to be walking.”  This walk is our lifestyle.  Do we live wisely in relation to those outside the Kingdom?  Unfortunately, many people today are not interested in Jesus because they know some of His followers.  Are our lives reflecting the Kingdom Ethic, or do we manifest the ethics of another kingdom?

4.  Missional Living Must be Done Intentionally (5a-b)

We must go throughout our day with “Great Commission Eyes.”  A great evangelist of yesteryear once stated, “When I meet new people, I always see an ‘L’ or an ‘S’ on their foreheads.  The L stands for ‘lost’ and the S stands for ‘saved’.  I assume that everyone has an ‘L’ until I know for certain that they are followers of Jesus.”  This is a good practice for us to follow.  Missional living does not just happen.  We must be intentional about it.  We must be intentional about gospel engagement.

5.  Missional Living Must be Done Graciously (6a)

Paul notes that our speech should always be gracious and seasoned with salt.  Whenever people encounter us, do they see grace or a grouch?  Humility or a hypocrite?  Joy or a jerk?  Love or a liar?  1 Peter 3:15-16 is a great verse to memorize.

6.  Missional Living Must be Done Flexibly (6b)

The never-changing gospel must be communicated in ever-changing situations.  Paul writes that we should know how to answer each person.  This means that a customized approach is necessary when it comes to sharing the gospel.  We must be students of God’s Word, and ready to respond appropriately to others.

Obedience is not a complicated matter.  As I mentioned in the last post, missional living is not rocket science.  So, let’s take off our white lab coats, put away our scientific calculators, stop analyzing and debating the trajectories as to who gets to go to the moon, and start living out of the calling we have received.