Neighborhood Genius

I’m writing this blog at the Exponential Conference in Orlando, Florida. No, I’m not writing during the sessions. I’m writing while I play hooky at Disney World (just kidding!).

As I wander through the hallways at the conference, I’ve noticed that a lot of church planters and missional leaders are injured. An oddly high number of people have casts on their arms or legs, are wearing slings, and are moving around on crutches. I’m beginning to think that living out a missional life is really dangerous!

A missional life is, in fact, daring and risky. Instead of living for yourself, serving your own interests, and being protected in your bubble, you decide to really care about people. You take time to engage with your family. You take steps to get involved in people’s lives. You venture into the community to serve others. You ask God and yourself, “How can I live out Jesus’ love in public today?”

I was having lunch with a few colleagues recently when a fellow church member approached our table and introduced us to a friend of hers. The friend had experienced all kinds of tragedy and hurt. She was barely scraping by. The church member had been doing a great job introducing her to the care and love of Jesus. There was one problem, the friend mentioned casually. She didn’t have a driver’s license and couldn’t visit our faith community.

You could see everyone thinking, “Hey! We’ll give you a ride!”

I had another thought: “What if she were to help start a gathering in her own neighborhood? There would be no pressure for a driver’s license and she could invite a whole bunch of her friends. She’d be able to explore with people in her life who God is.”

That kind of invitation was extended to my wife recently. A neighbor invited her to gather with a group of ladies to explore who Jesus is and do life together. They would meet in her home, just a few blocks away.

This is nothing new or earth shattering. People met in homes in Acts chapter two. But it really works. It’s close in proximity. It’s convenient. It involves natural relationships. It causes life-sharing and Christian conversation. It leads to mentoring and caring. It even creates groups that serve others. It is the church in action. It’s very meaningful. It’s what people yearn for. And anybody can do it.

The gathering my wife attends isn’t part of a small groups program at a church. It’s simply being the church.

I call it neighborhood genius. God put you in the middle of a whole bunch of people—in your family, at work, at school, in your apartment complex, at soccer practice—you get the idea. It’s your neighborhood. Then, in your neighborhood, you get people together. You talk and care and live and bring Jesus there. He’ll show you the way. And lives will change. People will be lifted up. People will receive God’s love. People will band together to bring that love to more “neighborhoods.”

At the conference I’m attending, I heard the story of a water skiing instructor who worked on Sunday mornings. He didn’t feel good about missing church, so before he took people out on the water, he asked if he could read some Scripture and pray for them. This caught on. Soon he had 60 water skiers gathering for breakfast, the Bible and prayer each Sunday before they all went skiing. A group of locals joined in to help people with their boats in case they needed some repair and help. The ski instructor said to his pastor, “You know what, I think I accidentally started a church!”

Neighborhood genius! It sounds like what God told Abraham in Genesis 12, “All peoples on earth will be blessed through you." What a plan! Genius. How are you working in your neighborhood?

Taking a Chance

A very scary thing took place as I lived in a neighborhood for fourteen years. I saw little kids grow up and learn to drive!

I couldn’t believe my eyes. Little Andrew, just a toddler when we moved into the neighborhood, was suddenly given the keys to the family Expedition. Up the street he went, windows rolled down, radio blaring, exceeding the speed limit, a smirk of coolness on his face. How could this be?

Sweet little Emily, just into kindergarten when we arrived on the block, was driving her sister to school! When did she get such authority?

This was frightening. But it was a fact of life. After all, we’re going to need these drivers to take us to our hip replacement doctor follow-ups one day.

It’s terrifying, but there is no way we can shut down driver training. We can’t cap the number of drivers on the road with our generation.

The same is true of Kingdom work.

It may be scary, but God is giving many people the mantle of Kingdom service. It can be frightening to Kingdom-work veterans, and it can be frightening for new Kingdom workers! But we can’t shut down Kingdom-worker training and sending. We can’t cap the number of people who serve Jesus with our generation or our geography or our genetic makeup. We must take a chance.

Throughout millennia God has raised up new people to reach out with His Good News. Somehow, we who serve got into this business. Each of us was new at one time. And each of us makes a unique Kingdom difference. We need to let God do the same with others. We need to mentor, support, teach, be flexible, welcome new ideas, guide with sound Scriptural foundations, and let go of our own fear and pride. We need to see how God will reach new generations with new workers who are sent into a chain reaction of new relationships.

And new workers need to be ready. Getting behind the wheel can be nerve-wracking. It can be intimidating. You may not want to head out into traffic. But there comes a time to drive! God is sending you because there are people in your life who need to know Jesus. There are people you will enter into relationships with who need to see His genuine love. You need to learn, practice, be humble, and take risks.

God’s courage leads the way. Let’s take chances with Him so that many will come to know their Savior, Jesus who lives!

You can register for the latest Missional Worker Training in your area at www.missionalworker.org.