A Missionary Posse

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

Acts 1:8

INCOMPLETE PUZZLE 

Putting together a puzzle can be a therapeutic experience. It’s relaxing and doesn’t require much effort at all. Match the pieces, have a picture. Still, peace can quickly turn to chaos when pieces are missing. You have a puzzle. You can have a general idea of the picture, but it’s still an incomplete puzzle, not a finished puzzle. 

For many years, evangelicals have been missing a major piece of the puzzle for our understanding about the mission of God. Personally, and for the longest time, I thought mission was simply a place to go. I grew up going on mission trips, hearing testimonies of Missionaries in other countries, and having special offerings to support missions. Basically, missionaries who proclaimed the Gospel outside of America. Then fast forward to the point I actually read the Bible. I quickly found the missing puzzle piece. Mission is not primarily somewhere to go, but is all of life. It is clearly the Lord’s intention in Acts 1:8. Our calling is to bear witness about the good news of the Gospel whenever and wherever; to be a Christian is to be a missionary. 

MISSIONARIES OR IMPOSTERS 

During his sermon, A Sermon and A Reminiscence, Charles Haddon Spurgeon boldly warned the church, “Every Christian is either a missionary, or imposter.” If we treasure the Gospel as good news, it will be news we proclaim to others. To be a missionary is part of the calling of everyone who has tasted and seen that the Lord is good. 

A Doxa Community is a posse of missionaries who live on mission together. As already mentioned, mission is a community endeavor. As a Doxa Community gathers weekly, mission is something that must always be at the forefront of the DC’s mind. There are several ways a Doxa Community can promote an intentional focus on mission:

Elements & Rhythm 

Cast the vision of DC consistently, clearly, and compellingly every week. This will help everyone in the DC to be familiar with their identity, especially as missionaries. Since mission is all of life, there are always opportunities to engage in mission. Be mindful of this when your DC closes in prayer and scatters for mission.

The week we focus on our identity as missionaries is a time to behold God’s plan for mission and plan for scattering in mission. Who are the people you know who need the gospel? Who are you committed to pray for and meet with? Who will you engage with intentionality to share the Gospel with them?

One of the changes to encourage the Doxa Communities to engage in mission is new rhythms. Every week of the month has a focused Gospel Identity. Week three of our rhythm will be focused on praying and planning for scattering for mission during week four.