Jesus said, 'Everyone who confesses me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God.' (Luke 12:8) It strikes me that this is what a good apprentice of Jesus does; he honors Jesus openly, often. Here are the main points of a little booklet called '5 Habits of Highly Missional People' by Michael Frost:
1. Bless people. Three people a week, at least one that is not in your circle of believing friends. Blessing means words of affirmation, acts of kindness or the giving of gifts. Recipients thrive on the love and thoughtfulness and effort that goes into a gift.
2. Eat with people (other than family) at least 3 times a week. Again, one of these 3 should be with someone who is not in your believing circle. It's the great equalizer, often invites reciprocation and you have to eat anyway so you might as well enjoy outside company.
3. Listen to the Spirit, for one 'period' a week. Designate a time. Eliminate distractions. Consciously allow God in and enjoy his presence. (Worship is always appropriate.) And importantly, act on His promptings. He will lead you on an adventure of ministry. Just eating with people could easily lead to gossip or drunkenness or horrors - gluttony. Your interactions with others could also lead to a critical or judgmental heart, which generally will bring a blossoming new relationship to a screeching halt. You need this to be in tune with the Holy Spirit. (Check out Galatians 5:13-26)
4. Learn Jesus. It has been popular to sport WWJD bracelets and paraphernalia. It's kind of like that. One spends time each week reading and meditating on the gospels, developing a collection of 'Jesus movies', and read good books on who Jesus was and what he expected of his apprentices and the like. It's kind of contagious.
5. Sent. Journal daily ways that you have alerted others to the kingdom & reign of Christ. Jesus commanded his apprentices to announce his kingdom - what Paul described as 'righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit' (Romans 14:17). It is not only the company of the redeemed but the place where Jesus reigns supreme. The apprentice does this by announcing and championing forgiveness & reconciliation. Promoting justice. Sharing a fascination with beauty and creation with other earth travelers. He or she brings healing, comfort, wholeness and speaks truth into a broken world when appropriate.
Here's the catch. It takes about 75 days to establish a habit. Each of these is set in a weekly fashion. Not a single one is hard BUT we are facing spiritual resistance and even inner rebellion at simply doing what will make us effective missionaries. And we just forget sometimes. Excuses out of the way, I'd like to challenge you to join me on this adventure of developing the habits of highly missional people who represent Jesus often.
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