I really appreciated the opening remarks of Emil Trajchev, the dean of the Orthodox Theological Faculty in the University of Sofia, at our conference this week on the place of Mission in an Orthodox Context.
Emil remarked that Christian Mission is to live and be a stranger in a real cultural context. The Christian is to be a witness in society. But witness is not mission. Mission is the motivational effort to bring that which is outside of the church into the church. Witness is the life of the church.
This is something that the baptistic believer agrees with. To see mission as defined by evangelism is to depart from the good news of the Kingdom that Jesus brings. Evangelism has to integral to our life and witness. It is our life that must tell of the Good News and our words simply as a commentary and explanation.
But what a challenge this is! To life in the life of Jesus Christ. This is what we are engaged in. To live out in community a life that reflects and demonstrates the very nature of God Himself.
Emil remarked that Christian Mission is to live and be a stranger in a real cultural context. The Christian is to be a witness in society. But witness is not mission. Mission is the motivational effort to bring that which is outside of the church into the church. Witness is the life of the church.
This is something that the baptistic believer agrees with. To see mission as defined by evangelism is to depart from the good news of the Kingdom that Jesus brings. Evangelism has to integral to our life and witness. It is our life that must tell of the Good News and our words simply as a commentary and explanation.
But what a challenge this is! To life in the life of Jesus Christ. This is what we are engaged in. To live out in community a life that reflects and demonstrates the very nature of God Himself.
