{{2009_09_17_t1.jpg}} {{2009_09_17_t2.jpg}} {{2009_09_17_t3.jpg}} [[http://www.jesusnetwork.eu/de/doku.php/jn_de_2009_09_17|Deutsche Version]] [[Start|| Wiki Start]] [[topics_collection_i|| Topics Collection i ]] ======Calling and Mission IV - Mission today.====== Thursday, Sept 17, 2009. Are we still called to misson today? Is it still reasonable to go into different countries to teach Christian faith? What is a reasonable view onto mission today? What is to be avoided? The word "mission" means "being sent". There are many layers of the mission of Jesus for us today. We are sent to live with him. We are sent to be the church and to live in a different way, to live in him with his truth, love and dedication. This is a general mission. Then there is the mission to spread the gospel. Invite other people to faith. This type of mission is often called "evangelism". It means taking people into the gospel. There is the mission to be salt and light of the earth. This refers to our personal reliability as well as our goals and the way we live. It also refers to social activity, to our role in our own societies. It is a mission. Finally there is a mission to go and tell people in all nations of the world. This is what is usually meant when we use the word "mission" in a Christian context. {{2009_09_17.jpg }} We live in a global world today, and this changes the state of the mission. The historical mistakes of "western" countries to use mission as a tool to exercise power are clearly recognized today. Significant parts of what has been called "mission" was not Christian mission, but it was politics of power and acts of war. Christian mission has been compromised. It has been twisted and perverted! However, the original mission of Jesus is still valid and active today. The original mission means to spread really good news. Jesus' kingdom is fantastic. It remains fantastic! He is the future - and it is good to come to him, to get to know him, to become a part of the people of faith. We need to be open for the new mission, which is the old mission. We need to be open to exchange ideas on a global scale. Globalization is a word which is strongly debated - but one part of it is the instant exchange of ideas between remote places in China and Japan, Australia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. The global workforce today is quick to change from the UK to Honkong, from Germany to the US, from Africa to France. Christian mission will be a part of the social developments, the gospel is moving globally, since people are moving and listening and making their personal experiences. As in business and science there are those in the Christian community, who are open to live in another country, share experiences and ideas and take part in the process of building up local churches, the community of faith and the community of help and appreciation. True Christian mission always means to learn from each other. Christian mission has always been a process. Everyone has to give and everyone has to take many things. A Christian missionary might have to give some knowledge about what is in the bible. But as soon as he meets people who are interested in faith, he will start to take as well. It is as with children: they are individuals from the very first day. The parents might give a lot, but they also take from the beginning. And with every day they take more, they learn more and they are strongly influenced by the person who is living with them. With spiritual parenthood this is even stronger, since we are talking about other people with a lifetime of knowledge and experiences! {{ 2009_09_17_2.jpg}} Christian mission means to come together. It means to find community. It means to find brotherhood. We all are brothers and sisters in the Lord, there is no superior or inferior, there will be truth and love, sincerity and joy! [[http://www.jesusnetwork.eu/en/doku.php/topics_collection_i|... more texts]]