03.05.06

What missions is all about

Posted in Uncategorized at 6:49 am

Josh Furnal, my teammate, reads constantly. I’m not a huge reader, but Josh likes to throw a book or two my way every now and then. Thankfully, he’s stopped recommending his high and lofty philosophy books.

The most recent book of his that I’m reading is called Velvet Elvis. It’s a strange little book (that is excellently laid out, graphic-wise) by Rob Bell. But listen to this little snippet about missions work:

Missions then is less about the transportation of God from one place to another and more about the identification of a God who is already there. It is almost as if being a good missionary means having really good eyesight. Or maybe it means teaching people to use their eyes to see things that have always been there; they just didn’t realize it. You see God where others don’t. And then you point him out.

Which pretty much summarizes our work here in Italy. God has always been here. But sometimes people miss Him in the business of life. Our job isn’t to “bring God” to Italy (later, Rob Bell says He’s “really heavy”). It’s to point Him out.

And really, if you zoom the camera lens out even further, isn’t that what being a Christian is? Seeing God where He is, and pointing Him out to others?

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