Mobilizing missional living has been my personal passion for over twenty-five years and this is our mission of Mobilize Ministries™. A lot of people ask me the ins and outs of thriving in a missional life. If I had a very short time with someone to mobilize them in their missional life, I’d invest in them these three key rhythms of a thriving missional life.
- Be Available.
I learned to thrive in my missional life not in school behind books but with mentors who made themselves available. The most impacting one was Stanley. He’d share Jesus with people everywhere he went on a daily basis. In fact, he’d consistently go to the same gas stations, restaurants, stores, etc… running into the same people, get to know their stories and share Jesus with them. He made himself available to them. The stories that came out of these were inspiring as he shared how these people encountered Jesus through his availability. I longed to thrive in my missional life so one day i asked Stanley, my mentor, who was also Max Lucado’s mentor, “What is a life rhythm for you that helps you to share Jesus whereever you go?” He simply and profoundly responded “Be available”. The fuel of Stanley’s missional life that I long to emulate became clear. Be available to the Holy Spirit. Listen to Him. Obey Him. Be available to people in a disconnected culture where people seem so unavailable.
- Be Intentional.
You only have one life to live on this Earth. Live your life intentionally. You’re called to love God and love people. How are you doing this intentionally? Jesus’ vision was to go to the cross and die to save humankind from the destruction of Satan. But if his daily life was wrapped up in his vision, His future bloodshed on the cross to save humanity, which is the ultimate vision by the way, you and I would have NO MODEL for following Jesus! We would not know what being a disciple of Jesus looks like today. We do, in fact, know what it looks like to follow Jesus because Jesus was intentional about teaching His disciples. Jesus was intentional with EVERYONE He encountered! He intentionally modeled a life of love for His disciples! I love the encounter Jesus had with the woman at the well in John 4. Jesus never used a canned message of the Gospel. Jesus intentionally used the narrative of this Samaritan woman. Jesus intentionally conversed with her about her marriage life. She discovered Jesus knew about her numerous spouses. Jesus knew that a part of her daily life was getting water from the well. So Jesus intentionally used word pictures from her story to frame the Gospel. “Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”” (John 4:10, 13-14) This woman was so touch by Jesus giving her intentional love that she left proclaiming ““Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?”” (John 4:29) She knew Jesus was the Christ and because of his intentionality, she felt intimately known!
- Be Present.
I met Jason when he was a leader of the ACU Student Association and now he’s a Church leader and a Partner in the law firm he cofounded with national recognition. I’ve noticed along the years he consistently represents Jesus as he leads among his spheres of influence. I asked him recently what is a key to giving God His excellence in everything he does. His practical yet profound response was ”Be present.” In whatever he does whether in his law firm, among his family, serving a refugee family or leading his church, he strives and leads in being present. In a world full of distractions and people are so disconnected, what a gift to exemplify Jesus to others by being PRESENT with them! This is the gift God gives us! EMMANUEL! “God with us!”. When we equip through Mobilize Ministries™ among churches, small groups and individuals in missional living, Luke 8:1 is an anchor depicting Jesus BEING WITH the disciples. We equip people to be present when they meet with people. Like Jason, i encourage you to thrive in an intentional life truly being present where God plants you among your daily existing spheres of influence.
Now it’s your turn to share! Do you have a testimonial from your daily missional life when someone was was touched by the love of Jesus through you being available, intentional and present? Please comment and share with your story below. We are praying for individuals to join this ministry as a monthly financial partner. If you are reading this, that means we are praying for you! Click below to set up your tax deductible monthly giving to Mobilize Ministries™ and receive a thank you gift of an autographed copy of Weak Is The New Strong: God’s Perfect Power In You. This makes a perfect gift for you to give to someone you are being available, intentional and present with! If you want help setting up this support, e-mail at donorcare@mobililzeministries.com.
(All giving is tax deductible)
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