Knowing Jesus, Is Sharing Jesus: Missional Living 101 – Jennifer
During our trip to Thailand we had the opportunity to visit the Grand Palace. The
palace has been the official residence of the Kings of Siam (and later Thailand) since
1782. The current king does not reside there. However, several royal ceremonies
and state functions are held within the walls of the palace every year.
This was my second time visiting the Grand Palace. Yet, I am still in awe of the
elaborate structures, and walls filled with solid gold and jewels. Nonetheless, what
caught my attention more than the gold walls and the jewels was a simple sign near
the entrance of the temple that said: Knowing Buddha, Buddha is not for Tattoo,
Buddha is not for Decoration, Stop Buying Buddha.
This made me think of how we often treat Jesus, the Bible, and the cross. I do not
believe there is anything wrong with expressing your faith through jewelry, t-shirts,
etc. In fact, I believe it can be a great witnessing tool and conversation starter. Yet,
many of us fail in making that connection to our faith, and sharing it with others.
This Buddha sign simply reminds me that I am to live missionally. Missional living
is the adoption of the posture, thinking, behaviors and practices of a missionary in
order to engage others with the gospel message. In our representation of the gospel
with crosses on our necks, scriptures on t-shirts, we must remember to engage
others with the message that we represent.
This is what I love about the Thailand trip. We often have times during the day to
practice living life missionally, because much of our ministry takes place at night
in the Red Light Districts. So during the day, we may have the opportunity to take
a cultural tour, or enjoy a Thai massage. During this time, we are encouraged to be
intentional about building relationships with people that we meet so that we can
open the door to share a greater message than ourselves; the message of the Gospel.
This ladies and gentlemen is the fulfillment of the Great Commission. It does not
matter where we are in the world, if we remember that its better to share our faith,
than to simply wear it.
