Moore College mission

I've been meaning to post a weekly update of my reflections/learnings from MTC but as you can tell, that hasn't happened!

With such a busy run up to Easter - househunting, pregnancy, writing houseparty talks, adjusting to 110 new faces at college, settling in to a new church at Barneys, I think blogging was one of those 'would have been nice to's'

So, instead, let me share with you one reflection now that its Moore College mission week which hopefully encapsulates a variety of thoughts that've been going on in my head. Point form to make it easier for you.......

• our Houseparty talks were on the topic of 'mission' or to the ends of the earth. We had the privilege of speaking to the high schoolers on this very important topic. And whilst they certainly appreciated the input (eg. challenging about whether they were on God's mission or their own mission, how big their own view of God is coz how we view mission starts with how we view God, being megaphones about Jesus to all people around us, seeing God's plan and purposes from beginning to end, being mission minded individuals who pray, care, give and go etc etc), probably people who benefited most were tree and I!!
• at lot of the things were were speaking to the teens were really just extensions of what God had been doing in our own hearts. In preparing these talks, it was awesome to see God's mission. To see where its all heading and the picture in Rev 7
• our own desires, yearnings, burdens and passion for God's global mission in sending the gospel to the ends of the earth were 'refreshed'. I think personally, I became more and more convinced in leaning towards being involved in some form of cross cultural ministry post college (and possibly out of Sydney too)

• on a separate train of thought, one of the other things i've noticed since starting college is the fact that i haven't got any substantial non-Christian relationships apart from my family. Its kinda become a bit of a Christian circle of friends that i've acquired as i've been a Christian for longer and longer (and i suspect i'm not the only one in this boat. Am I?)
• what a shame that is. We who have received the gospel, also need to be proclaimers and senders of this gospel so that it goes out and affects the lives of others just as it done to us. (One of my friends at college keeps on helping asking 'where's evangelism in this? where's proclamation in all this' as we reflect together on what's happening around us and in gospel ministry)

• That finally brings me to Gladesville - the suburb I've been in this week as part of MTC mission. Its been a great week, seeing another model of ministry (esp in terms of church planting), seeing perhaps the best children's minister in Sydney in action, bonding with other guys in my college chaplaincy group
• But perhaps the biggest highlight believe it or not has been doorknocking. Each afternoon for an hour or two, we've been hitting the streets of Gladesville knocking on doors and trying to find out people's opinions about Jesus. We've had mostly Catholic people, but we've also had the Church of England people who no longer go to church, the Greek Orthodox, the Buddhist, the 'my grandfather used to be a minister but now I believe in science', the agnostic, atheist, apathetic, the 'I used to believe' and today had a homosexual as well.
  
• The reason why this has been a highlight - even though its been one of the most daunting experiences - is for the following reasons:

1. its been refreshing to engage with people who don't have the same belief and viewpoints as me. Nearly everyone we've spoken to has no assurance, no certainty, no guarantee of future salvation, or where everything's heading. (This is something i experienced as we were travelling around with a group in Turkey last yr)
2. the gospel divides - although none have yet to repent just yet, i now know what it feels like to have the door slammed in your face literally (twice). In fact one of those doorslammers (who after we questioned her about whether she was certain God would let her into heaven) was so upset as she slammed the door on us that she then rang up the church office and complained about what we were telling her.
   
3. its a reminder of God's gospel to keep going out to the ends of the earth and that God's mission is still very much happening as he seeks to bring every living CREATURE to confess that Jesus is Lord!

Who's mission are you on - yours or God's?

How are your non-Christian relationships going? Do you have more of one over the other? How is your time being spent? Are you using your money to win more for the kingdom?