The Whole Church as Missionary

An important part of A Common Mission is the focus on mission as the very nature of the Triune God and thus the nature of the Church as the body of Christ. Mission is not a marginal program or activity of the Church, rather mission is the church's heartbeat. I am indebted to authors such as South African missiologist David Bosch, British missiologist, Lesslie Newbigin as well as Latin American missiologists Rene Padilla and Samuel Escobar for their great contribution to missional theology that recognizes that the church is missionary. For this post I have included an editorial by Rene Padilla that is well worth the time to read. I welcome your comments on this article.

The whole church is missionary

C. René Padilla

To say that the whole Church is missionary is stating something that Christians of the first century would probably have considered a truism. Just read the book of Acts to be convinced that the apostolic gospel was spread largely due to the enthusiastic participation of the "secular" (as the happy little description we use today) in the mission. Thus, for example, who founded the church in Antioch of Syria, "the mother church" of all Gentile churches? The answer is clear as daylight:

"After Stephen's death, they began to persecute the believers, so some had to flee to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch. There announced to the Jews the gospel message, but not to others. Yet some believers Cyprus and Cyrene came to the city of Antioch, spake unto the Gentiles, preaching the good news about Jesus, the Lord. The power of the Lord was with them, and so were many who left their ancient beliefs and believed in the Lord (Acts. 11.19-21). "

The Holy Spirit took advantage of "some believers from Cyprus and Cyrene" to form the first church in the Gentile world, around the year 40 AD Who were they? How many were there? What jobs did they have? What kind of "theological training" had received? The narrative lacks data satisfying our curiosity. All we know about them is that believers and Cyrenaica were Cypriots who had left Jerusalem fleeing the persecution following Stephen's martyrdom. Obviously, among them there was no apostle (Acts. 8.1). They were "ordinary" believers. Yet the church established by anonymous after a few years founders would be (as we know) the basis of the first "mission abroad" that made the proclamation of the gospel in the Gentile world, which participate in several of his Member Barnabas, Saul of Tarsus (later called Paul), John Mark, Silas and Titus.

The case of a marriage tent manufacturers, Priscilla and Aquila, also illustrates the place that had the "secular" in the mission of the Church in that glorious period in the history of Christianity. We cover them first when Paul comes to the city of Corinth-a commercially important political center and, around the year 51 AD Having been expelled from Rome by an edict of Emperor Claudius which provided that all Jews out of there They are living in Corinth, dedicated to his craft, which is to make tents. At home the Apostle finds work and shelter (Ac. 18.1-4). It is not known if the conversion occurs before or after arrival at Corinth; the fact is that two years later, when Paul begins the journey back to his church in Antioch, they travel with him to Ephesus, and there established his home and start his Christian ministry (Acts. 18.18-19). Shortly after his rasa becomes the center of meetings of the local church (1 Cor 16.19) and classroom where the eloquent Apollos of Alexandria is instructed by them in the path of God, since only knows "baptism of John" ( Hch.18.24-26). Shortly after, about the year 55 AD, we find back in Rome (Ro. 16.3-5), probably taking advantage of the edict of Claudius has been terminated due to the death of the emperor. Again, there is also the church in their house (v. 5). Paul describes them as his "fellow workers in Christ Jesus" (v. 3) shows that all upon the mind of the Apostle Aquila and Priscilla-just as Mary (v 6.), Urban (v 9)., Tryphena, and Trifosa Persis (v. 12), other "secular" whose work he mentions explicitly shared with him as an equal, the missionary responsibility. Indeed, it is likely that the church to which Paul addresses his letter known as Romans is the result of the work of "secular" from various parts of the empire. All the evidence support a finding Michael Oreen that "Christianity was from the beginning a lay movement and remained so for a considerable period of time."

Of course, this does not deny that the first century Church had missionaries "to full-time." In the New Testament the term "apostle" is used to refer not only to the apostles of Jesus Christ - the Twelve and later Paul - but to itinerant missionaries sent and supported financially by the churches. Paul alludes to them when he writes about the "apostles of the churches" (2 Cor 8.23); to the same category may belong Andronicus and Junia, relatives of the Apostle (Romans. 16.7). Apparently there were "prophets", "teachers" and "evangelists" who, like the apostles mentioned, going from place to place fulfilling an itinerant ministry with the support of the churches. However, spreading the good news of salvation in Christ did not depend exclusively or mainly of them, but missionaries "lay" Christians who like Priscilla and rent spontaneously shared their faith among their family, friends and acquaintances wherever they went . Justo Gonzalez is undoubtedly correct when he writes:

"Most of the expansion of Christianity in the centuries leading up to Constantine took place not through the work of people dedicated to this task, but thanks to the constant testimony of hundreds and thousands of traders, slaves and Christians condemned exile who were witnessing to Jesus Christ wherever life took them, and they were creating new communities in places where missionaries "professionals" had not yet come. "

The professionalization of the mission, as the pastor, was a later historical development to the apostolic period. Was accompanied by the traditional dichotomy between "clergy" and "laity", the same that gradually took shape from the second century and reached its culmination in the fourth century. Persists in almost all churches and is without doubt one of the biggest obstacles facing Christian mission. From that perspective, the mission is strictly linked to the "clerical profession." It is a duty which concerns exclusively, or almost exclusively, to those who have been called to "serve God full-time." And for us much more accustomed to receiving that mission is preferentially give-a vocation for European or Latin American-Christians,.

We urgently need to recover the New Testament vision of -VILLAGE Church of God, Body of Christ, the Spirit community in which all members have been called to serve God full time. Being a Christian is, among other things and unavoidably, be a participant in the cause of the gospel. Taking part in the mission is never something optional for the Christian. Of course, it can ask (and ask) about how and where God wants him to exercise his missionary vocation, but only from a premise that can not be disputed: to be called Jesus Christ also has been called to engage with him in the mission.
downloaded from: http://www.kairos.org.ar/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1425