Breaking the Missional Code: Breaking the Missional Code (ch. 2)

In this chapter Stetzer tells the story of several thriving churches. They are churches of different kinds and in different contexts. Here’s the missional process Stetzer describes for successfully missional churches:

1. Calling from God
2. Exegeting the community
3. Examining ways God is working in similar communities
4. Finding God’s unique vision for your church
5. Adjusting that vision as you learn the context

A calling from God means we don’t uncritically rely on technique in our drive for “success,” which is a powerful voice in our culture. Successful mission starts with having God’s heart for the community where we find ourselves – and putting ourselves in the place that God has given us a heart for. Stetzer states, “So breaking the code begins with asking God, ‘Who have you called me to?’” (p. 23).

Rick Warren is held up as the premiere example of one who has exegeted his community in the planting of Saddleback Church, but many have made the mistake of duplicating Warren’s findings when they live in a different environment. Duplicate his process, not his findings.

While we shouldn’t duplicate others’ findings uncritically, there are plenty of cultural similarities throughout our country. It is wise to learn from these findings in similar communities, but to also contextualize and adjust as needed to one’s specific community. “Connect the dots” wherever possible.

Next, find God’s unique vision for your church and embrace it. The church community can withdraw from the larger community, but churches who have “broken the code” have found a way to “develop a unique vision for their church that both honors God and connects with their community” (p. 27).

Finally, we should adjust vision as we learn the context. This should be an ongoing process, even if your church is “successful.” Stetzer urges each church to ask: “Are we faithfully proclaiming the faith in the place in which we find ourselves today?” (p. 28).

As last chapter, Stetzer has some questions (better, assignments) to chew on:

1. Describe the specific people that God has called you to reach.
2. Identify other churches that are being used by God to reach similar people.
3. Write a brief paragraph on what your church would look like if it broke the code among that people.
4. Identify the adjustments you need to make in light of what you are learning.

Breaking the Missional Code: The Emerging Glocal Context

I just started Breaking the Missional Code by Ed Stetzer. I’m reading it with our Outreach Director to see if it can help us reach our culture better. The first chapter addresses the changes culture are undergoing and how the church is largely stuck in modernity while postmodernity is where most people live.

Stetzer uses the term “glocal” to refer to global and local realities that are converging in America. The changes are so significant that in former times seekers would go to the church first, but now it isn’t high on the list – if it is on the list at all. If the church wants to make an impact, we must engage the culture as missionaries, not just be evangelists.

What are the changes in culture? The culture is largely unchurched – even those who go to church are not discipled by the church as much as culture. Our world is more culturally diverse than ever. People/affinity groups are what bond people together. The church needs to understand these micro-environments. There are also subcultures that need to be understood and ministered to – nursing homes, jails, college campuses, etc…

Each chapter ends with some questions under the title, “The Breaking the Code Challenge.” I need to work through these for our Cypress area, but they may be helpful for you personally in your area. Here are the questions for chapter 1:

1. Describe the specific people groups, population segments, and/or cultural environments that make up your geographical context.
2. What are some practical ways you can begin to expose those you minister with to opportunities to break the code?
3. How would you define success when it comes to the Great Commission in your given context?

“Why does God make deformed babies and pain in the world?”

One of the college students I’m privileged to serve with was asked this question by one of her roommates and she solicited my input. This is the big one and I don’t think there are any answers that are 100% satisfactory or it would cease being “the big one” in terms of tough questions. I know a couple of guys who are brighter than I am read this blog on occasion so I’m soliciting their input as I lay out my first email to this student. This was after giving it a day’s thought, but without studying so please correct me as you see fit … or expand it. A couple more installments are to come. But here’s email #1.

Sin. Not the sin of deformed babies, or even regions where tragedy hits. But when Adam & Eve sinned (Gen. 3), Creation felt it, too. The ground wouldn't produce the way it was supposed to and Adam was going to have to work hard for food. We know that because of Adam (Rom. 5) we have our issues with sin, but Paul, when talking about the struggle with the Christian life and sin, indicates that Creation is under the weight of sin - "subjected to frustration" and will itself be "liberated from its bondage ... into glorious freedom" (Rom. 8.18-22 or so). Things aren't the way they're supposed to be ... with us as individuals, and with the created world because of our breaking covenant with God through Adam.

This doesn't answer the individual issues, but it explains why things are generally a mess. People are fallen and make sinful choices - that's the easy evil (bad people do bad things). But creation isn't as it should be, either. Not much later in Romans 8.28) it tells how God can use anything for our good if we love Him, which can give meaning to individual suffering for believers. John 9 is a good example of this, but there's something to be said for those who suffer for Christ and yet honor Him, even if they're not healed.

That’s a pretty quick drive by. Did I handle it appropriately? Please advise.

Reformission #7: "postmodern pandemonium"

In this final chapter, Driscoll addresses the difficulty the church has in ministering from the margins, since we’ve enjoyed a central place in culture for so long. After a brief history of the rise of postmodernism as a “junk-drawer” of ideas, he goes into seven demons that have found their way into much of the church from our “spiritual” postmodern age.

Demon #1: “the Sky Fairy.” Driscoll: “This mythical Sky Fairy is increasingly mistaken for Jesus, however, by many young pastors and Christians I have met who don’t want the gospel to be the offensive and foolish stumbling block that it is. So they remake Jesus into a feather-hair fairy in lavender tights and take the sword of revelation out of his hand, replacing it with a daisy” (166).

Demon #2: “keeping it real … sinful.” We’re so interested in authenticity that we forget it is “real” for us to be sinful, according to Romans 1. We need to die to ourselves rather than be ourselves.

Demon #3: “hermeneutics of the Dragon.” Scripture is a sword that we can interpret and it is truth. Don’t deny the truth, even if it is difficult to uncover at times.

Demon #4: “from creation back to ex nihilo.” In the era of deconstruction, people are into tearing things down, noting what they are “against” rather than what they are for. While critique is always necessary, we need to build a kingdom culture in our world, not just stand against it.

Demon #5: “the customer is always evil.” People approach church like the mall – looking for what benefits them. They’ll even go from church to church, ala carte style. We’re so eager to cater to the idolatry of self in the church that we don’t tell them that we’re sinners in need of repentance. Driscoll states, “If we simply give people what they want, we will not be giving them what they need.”

Demon #6: “the photocopy heresy.” The rampant egalitarianism in our culture is a partial truth – we’re all created in God’s image – but it makes the mistake of making all people on equal footing when clearly they are not. Ultimately, we try to make God more of our “buddy” than the Creator of all things who is sovereign. He concludes, “As we work among cultures that despise hierarchy, we must remember the kingdom values of children honoring their parents, wives respecting their husbands, Christians following the leadership of their pastors, and churches submitting to Jesus, because the governments of home and church belong to God and not the culture” (174).

Demon #7: “the hyphenated Christian.” We’re tentative to embrace truth and have reduced Scripture to perspectives. Driscoll states: “But as we work among cultures, we must never proclaim Jesus as God merely from our limited and biased perspective but rather as God and the King who rules over a kingdom that includes the cultures of the earth. And the view from his throne is not simply one of the many equally valid perspectives but truth. …In addition, they will demand that the Bible be taught as a series of suggestions rather than commands, that ministry be facilitated rather than led, and that self-discovery be promoted over obedience to God.
And reformission will cease” (175-176).

Take time, perhaps, over the next few days or weeks, to read the gospel of John and circle each occurrence of the word truth, or a derivative thereof. What did you learn about the truth? How does what John says about truth differ from what your local culture believes about the truth?

Do you consider yourself to be more modern or postmodern? Why?

Which of the seven demons is most worrisome to you? Why?

Do you think of any of the seven demons are compatible with Christianity? Why or why not?

Driscoll adds a conclusion of how he sees Reformission transform the city of Seattle. How do you see it transforming your culture?

Reformission #6: "the sin of light beer"

Here I am, trying to tie up loose ends again. This was, I think, pretty much my first set of posts – the chapter summaries of The Radical Reformission by Mark Driscoll. If you haven’t forgotten, enjoy the last couple. If you haven’t read them, I encourage you to go get the book – it’s much better than my summaries. But if you won’t, enjoy the posts. There’s great food for thought.

Driscoll starts this chapter by talking about different ways to engage culture in the ancient world by looking at the four major Jewish religious groups. The Pharisees were the ones to separate from culture. They wanted to separate themselves to keep “clean.” This translates to our culture like this, according to Driscoll: “Sadly, many people despise Christianity because all they have known are arrogant, self-righteous, and judgmental people claiming to be Christians who avoid them as if they were infected and do little more than yell at them to be moral when they should be explaining how to be redeemed” (140). The Sadducees were the ones who wanted to blend in to culture. They did this to the extent that they denied a future resurrection (Mark 12:18-27; Acts 23:8). This would be liberalism in our world today. Zealots were revolutionaries who exerted their moral and national ideals by force. Driscoll states, “Today this form of Christianity exists in both the religious right and left. It’s present wherever people are more interested in sermons about legislative politics than in sermons about sin and repentance, wherever people get more excited about elections than Easter, wherever more people sign political petitions than sign up to join a Bible study, and wherever people believe that if we simply elect more people like us, the world will be a wonderful place” (141). The Essenes (the Dead Sea Scrolls are on display in San Diego starting late June of this year, by the way) abandoned culture to seek spiritual experiences.

Two of them are sectarian (Essenes and Pharisees), two are syncretistic, blending into culture (Zealots, Sadducees), neither of which is the goal. The goal is to hold on to theological purity and your culture – and don’t let go. Driscoll uses the sectarian perspective of tee totaling as his test case. It has a good study on alcohol consumption for those who are interested and he ends up, biblically I believe, on the fact that alcohol consumption is acceptable in Scripture, but drunkenness is not. The peril, as has been noted a few times in this series of posts, is that we don’t go far enough into culture if we are sectarian and we have no message if we syncretize. This is what mission (Reformission) is all about.

Here are some discussion points from the end of Driscoll’s chapter.

1. Which of the following ruts are you most likely to fall into? Why?

• A Pharisee who avoids culture.
  A Sadducee who compromises too much and accommodates culture.
  A Zealot who hopes to rule over culture through politics and power.
  An Essene who ignores culture in favor of religious experiences.

2. In what ways have you gone too far into the culture and compromised your
conscience or Christian witness?

3. In what ways have you not gone far enough into the culture and missed
opportunities for evangelism and ministry?

Young Adult Ministry (YAM): Outreach

I know we were missing a bunch of folks tonight, but it was another good night, in my opinion. Be sure to be thinking how God would have you make a positive difference in the lives of others this week. Also be sure to pray and invite people to watch The Passion of the Christ. Nobody picked up any invite cards after the meeting so, if you need the address it is: 5172 Marion Ave., Cypress 90630.

For discussion's sake ... "Where is God growing you in reaching out?"

Reformission #5: "going to seminary at the grocery store"

Acts 17 is a classic missions passage. It shows how Paul takes the countless gods in Athens, particularly "the unknown god," and uses them to point to the One True God revealed in Jesus. Paul didn't take the time to refute everything that was wrong with their religion - though he certainly confronted culture. He used what was there to point them to the truth. He was opportunistic with cultural opportunities, including quoting some Greek poets. Driscoll states, "In our day, this would be akin to unearthing partial truths about God from a culture's film, music, comedy, sports, literature, theater, philosophy, economics, medicine, or politics and working from those truths to the truth of Jesus as the ultimate answer to all human questions and cultural problems" (p. 121).

After discussing some of the erroneous views of Christians in culture - that all culture is bad and we need to flee it (we need to avoid loving the world - wordliness - but culture itself is a mixed bag), Driscoll reminds us that God's people have often lived in exile ... pilgrims. This world is not our home, but we are called to love it and transform it because God loves it and wants it transformed.

In short, we need to wade into our culture and look amid the mixed messages we see around us to find, and affirm, truth. I'm not a real edgy movie guy. Not much of a movie guy at all, to be honest. But I heard a speaker at a camp tell about how Crash is a great movie that will move people closer to God than a sermon. I watched it. It has a ton of stuff you don't want to see - disturbing language, images, and everything. And it is, in my mind, a tremendous picture of humanity. It doesn't so much tell us about our Savior as it shows us our need for one. The people I started out liking in the film ended up being "less than perfect," at the end. And the ones who were rotten at the beginning had some redemptive qualities near the end. A powerful picture, in my mind, of humankind created in the Image of God, but corrupted through sin. I'm sure there's many more connections between the gospel and culture if I was better attuned to it.

Driscoll's questions (prepare to be challenged ... and maybe offended)...

• Try shopping at a new grocery store, reading magazines (especially their ads) you would never pick up (middle-aged male plumbers could read Cosmo Girl), listening to new music (Christian-pop fans would do well to tune into the hardcore station), listening to new teachers (Christian-radio fans should tune into a sexual talk program like Tom Leykis or Howard Stern), and watching a movie you normally would not.

  During the week, make an effort to learn from the people whom you encounter in public settings, such as the bank teller or grocery store clerk. Simply ask them what they've learned about people after interacting with so many. You will find that they are a wealth of insight.

  Most important, speak with lost people who are not like you, not for the purpose of converting them but rather for the purpose of learning what life is like for them in their culture.

  After you have undergone your reformission refocus and have returned to your normal routine, ask the following questions about your culture, including your Christian culture. If youa re reading this book as a part of a group experience, your group may find it helpful to share your answers to these questions.

  Where do people spend their time and money?

  What do people do during their free time?

  What do they fear?

  What do they dream about?

  Where do they shop?

  What cultural experiences do they value?

  What are the most painful experiences they have had?

  What music do they listen to?

  What film and TV do they watch?

  What do they find humorous?

  In what ways are they self-righteous?

  What do they read?

  What is their spirituality?

  Whom do they trust? Why?

  What do they think about the gospel?

  What sins will the gospel first confront and then heal for these people?

What do you think?

Reformission #4b: "Elvis and Eden" - evaluating culture

Post "Reformission #4a" talked about ways to evaluate culture in terms of thoughts, values, and experiences. Now Driscoll tackles high culture, folk culture, and pop culture. You probably have a good idea of what these mean. What's more important is what they mean for the church and its mission. Are you trying to do a ministry that is pop culture oriented when your culture is folk - sometimes the anti-pop culture? Good luck with that. Or are you doing "high culture" church in a pop culture area? These are things worth thinking through if your church is on mission.

What I want to talk about more in this post is Driscoll's discussion of universal Sins and particular sins. Universal sins are the ones that are sins for everyone - sexual immorality, idolatry, adultery, prostitution, homosexuality, etc... (see 1 Cor. 6.9-10). Particular sins are the ones that might be sin for some, but not others. This is that area of weak and strong brothers and sisters. Driscoll states, "...in some areas, we all need to restrict our freedoms because of our weaknesses, while we are able to use our Christian liberty in areas which we are strong" (p. 102-103). This would be the idea that it would not be sin for someone to go into a bar, theoretically, but it may be sin for someone who has a weakness with alcohol - they are setting themselves up for a fall.

Driscoll offers the following ... Biblical Principles for Cultural Decision-Making

• Is it beneficial to me personally and to the gospel generally (1 Cor. 6.12)?
• Will I lose self-control and be mastered by what I participate in (1 Cor. 6.12)?
• Will I be doing this in the presence of someone I know will fall into sin as a result (1 Cor. 8.9-10)?
• Is it a violation of the laws of my city, state, or nation (Rom. 13.1-7)?
• If I fail to do this, will I lose opportunities to share the gospel (1 Cor. 10.27-30)?
• Can I do this with a clear conscience (Acts 24:16)?
• Will this cause me to sin by feeding sinful desires (Rom. 13.13-14)?
• Am I convinced this is what God desires for me to do (Rom. 13.5)?
• Does my participation proceed from my faith in Jesus Christ (Rom. 14.23)?
• Am I doing this to help other people, or am I just being selfish (1 Cor. 10.24)?
• Can I do this in a way that glorifies God (1 Cor. 10.31-33)?
• Am I following the example of Jesus Chrsit to help save sinners (1 Cor. 10.33-11.1)?

This is me, not Driscoll: I like this list (I'm sure Driscoll does, too) because I often focus, when it comes to this discussion, on avoiding sin and enjoying the freedom we have in Christ. I don't look at it as opportunities for the gospel that might be lost if I don't exercise my freedom appropriately. That raises the stakes to making it about more than just me and my relationship with God - someone else's relationship with Him may be at stake, too.

Driscoll concludes this chapter by noting that we can't change culture through political structures, but through transformed lives. Culture, he says, is the megaphone of broken humanity's hearts. Hearts need to be transformed by the gospel, not the culture. Culture will be changed as there are more hearts changed within it.

Here's some more questions to chew on...

• Do you prefer high, folk, or pop culture? Does your church mediate the
  gospel primarily through high, folk, or pop culture? Where do high, folk,
  and pop culture exist in your local culture?
• For what issues in your culture do you need wisdom and discernment to
  understand? In what areas are you culturally weak? In what areas are
  you culturally strong? For you, what sins are particular sins, instead of
  universal sins?
• Do you have a new heart that loves God, hates sin, and causes you to become a
  new person more like Jesus? If so, in what ways has your new heart caused
  change in your life?
• In what ways have you or your church wrongly sought to change people's
  behavior (including your own) rather than first focusing on their hearts?
• In what ways have you or your church placed faith in institutions to change
  people at the expense of placing your faith in God and in God's working through
  you?

What do you think?

Reformission #4a: "Elvis and Eden," evaluating culture, part 1

It has been hard to post daily so I’m going to try something new to have more, smaller posts. As I go through The Radical Reformission by Mark Driscoll, I’m going to spend a few posts on each chapter, instead of trying to summarize one chapter per post. It may be too drawn out, but it will be more manageable to do it regularly. I’m just not getting it done otherwise. So here goes…

Chapter 4 in Radical Reformission deals with culture and he begins with the Fall from Genesis 3. Driscoll states, “People create culture because God made them to fill, work, and keep the earth. But because of sin, the innate desire God has placed within us to create culture has become bent and crooked” (p. 93). I think that’s why I liked the movie Crash. Lots of pain and sin and evil – people are a mess, but these same people are capable of good and beauty, like each of us who make up culture.

Since culture is made up of people who are created in God’s image and yet fallen, it is something we need to evaluate. This section will deal with “how to evaluate culture: thoughts, values, and experiences”…

Much of what people do in culture is based on three things: thoughts, values, and experiences. Driscoll calls them “tribes.” Thoughts theoretically determine why we do things, thinking it is based upon a cognitive cause and effect. While it is a factor, Driscoll insists most people live contradictions – like when I cut out sugar to lose weight, but eat bags of chips and take multiple trips to various fast food joints.

Next is values, which are “widely assumed, but rarely articulated or defended” (p. 95). People can value independence or family or religious tradition. Driscoll says the way to uncover these values is to see what people spend their time, passion, and money on. The only trick here is that people can confuse ideals for values. Ideals are what you wish you did, values are what you do. Christians ideally read their Bible, but that doesn’t mean it is valued.

Finally, experiences shape people within culture. These experiences can be chosen, or thrust upon people. When we live closely within our culture and get clarity on these areas, we can see the obstacles and opportunities for the gospel.

“What are the dominant thoughts, values, and life experiences that have shaped you and your church? What are the similarities between your thoughts, values, and experiences and those of the average lost person in your culture?”

Reformission #3: "shotgun weddings to Jesus"

This third chapter in Mark Driscoll’s book, The Radical Reformission, deals with evangelism, particularly as it is changing in a postmodern context. This may not apply to all of us because we’re all part of different sub-cultures, but there’s some interesting food for thought on the direction culture is heading and the ways we may need to think as a church – for the younger people in the present and everyone in the future. Despite the difference in approach Driscoll espouses, he clearly believes people are born into their sinful state and need to repent in submission to Jesus with their lives. Beyond that, it may be considered upside-down in relation to our usual order of operations.

“Reformission” (Driscoll’s term) is based upon relationships through a variety of ministries or individuals in the church. For example, they do things like host concerts for non-Christian bands just to build relationships with the kids who come. Evangelism is built upon relationships. Those who need Jesus tend to say “our church” before “our God” – in Driscoll’s experience. People tend to belong before they believe. In belonging to the church, they see “the natural and practical outworking of the gospel in people’s lives” (p. 69). Christians don’t hide their faith, they live it out authentically, talking about Jesus and praying, opening the door for communication. One woman at Mars Hill Church (Driscoll’s church) asked to host a Bible study in her home with someone else leading, because she knew she wasn’t a Christian, but she loved the people of the church.

Driscoll notes that one of the great things about this kind of “reformission” evangelism is that people are often evangelists, telling their friends and family members what they’re learning about Jesus, before they become believers themselves. And, when someone comes to Jesus in this model, they have cultivated the friendships to “belong” so discipleship will be more likely, and they have their network of friends still in tact that they can continue to reach out and love. People are not encouraged to leave their network of friends unless those friendships are leading them into “habitual sin.”

For this model to work, Christians need to repent of self-righteousness that we might open our community to those who need Jesus and model Christian love among brothers the way we’re supposed to. Our culture is increasingly individualistic, depressed, and lonely. And the gospel offers the hope that pays for our sin to restore our relationship with God and make possible relationships with others.

This time the questions are mine, so blame me, not Driscoll (except the last one!).

• What kind of relationships do you have with those who don’t know Jesus? Would you consider them friendships?
• Which of your friends or family members do you think might be interested in checking out your Christian community, whether they’re interested in Jesus or not?
• Where do you lack the confidence that your community would represent Jesus well to your friends?
• If community is vital to this kind of evangelism, it is important that it be modeled. Which people have sinned against you most grievously, and how has Jesus enabled you to forgive them? (Be sure to respect anonymity if you post!)
  

Reformission #2: "and now, the news"

This next chapter in Driscoll's book (The Radical Reformission) is both compelling and challenging for me to think through. He encourages us to take the timeless gospel and declare its relevance in any culture, particularly the culture we find ourselves in. Driscoll urges us to repent of two opposite dangers - nostalga and innovation. There hasn't been a "Golden Age" since Genesis 2 and we cannot live in the past. On the other hand, we can't become so eager to align with culture that we lose our prophetic witness, pointing people to God. We become too much like culture. Driscoll writes, "Innovation, when not tethered to the truth of the gospel, leads to heresy" (53).

Just as God has used great evangelists like Billy Graham and Bill Bright to communicate God's timeless truths to their culture, so we must do the same in ours - even our micro-cultures. Driscoll gives seven "signposts" for helping people find Jesus in his life (pp. 58-60) - I've summarized, on some points, what he's talking about.

1: the gospel connects to this life. It's more than just going to heaven; there are benefits to following Jesus in this life.
2: the gospel infuses daily activities with meaning.
3: the gospel names sin and points the way to forgiveness. We can't get away from the problem of sin when we contextualize.
4: the gospel transforms life. God wants to do an extreme makeover in our lives. The gospel won't let us stay the same.
5: the gospel builds a spiritual family. The church loving each other should be a powerful apologetic for the gospel, not a reason people reject Jesus.
6: the gospel is about participation with God. We're saved to do good works (Eph. 2.10).
7: the gospel is about Jesus as the means and end of our salvation. Jesus isn't supposed to get us anywhere. Glorifying Him is the destination, everything else is the means.

1. If you were to write a gospel for the people in your culture, where would you start?
2. If you were to write a gospel for the people in your culture, how would you explain sin?
3. If you were to write a gospel for the people in your culture, how would you explain Jesus?
4. If you were to write a gospel for the people in your culture, what about Jesus' life and teaching would they most resonate with? Why?
5. Which of the signposts have been most helpful to you personally?
   
   From The Radical Reformission by Mark Driscoll, p. 61.
   

What do you think?

Reformission #1: "eat, drink, and be a merry missionary"

A few weeks ago, our senior pastor challenged us to reach out to our community, sharing our "Most Important Relationship." Most of us are pretty intimidated to share our faith. I'll confess that, while I like it once I'm in the process, I'm not great at getting those conversations started. But I want, like most of you, to see our community reached for God's glory.

I thought, since Pastor Mike issued the challenge, it might be good to offer some thought-provoking questions about how we can reach our community in Cypress.A few weeks ago I read a good book called The Radical Reformission by Mark Driscoll. He's theologically conservative, but committed to bringing the gospel to his culture in a relevant way. His book isn't for everyone, but it is nothing if not entertaining and thought-provoking. Over this next series of "Reformission" posts, I'll give a brief description of his chapter and then some good questions all of us could work through to reach your community - because, as Driscoll notes, there are so many sub-cultures around us that we all could be reaching different communities within just a few miles of your church.

Chapter 1: "eat, drink, and be a merry missionary: imitating the reformission of Jesus"

Jesus is the model of mission. Driscoll talks about Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman and how we need to be willing to cross barriers if we really want to be a people on mission. A little explaining is probably in order.Jewish men didn't have much, if anything, to do with women outside their family and particularly not Samaritans. Samaritans were despised. I've read that Jews would walk all around Samaria just to avoid being defiled by their land. Samaria was part of the former Northern Kingdom of Israel and, after the Jews were deported after Assyria crushed them in 722 BC, the land was re-populated with a variety of people with whom the Jews, upon returning, inter-married with. In essence, the Jews of Jesus' variety saw the Samaritans as shameful half-breeds. There were also religious issues. The Samaritans had their own temple on Mt. Gerizim and they only accepted the five books of Moses (the Pentateuch, which is Genesis through Deuteronomy in our Bibles). Obviously the Jews in Jerusalem didn't care much for the Samaritans.And yet, Jesus reached out to this despised people. And not just any Samaritan, but one who came to get water during the heat of the day because she was a Samaritan that even the Samaritans didn't like, an immoral woman. And yet Jesus loved her and offered her the living water that only He can offer.

A key quote for us to grapple with from Mark Driscoll's book is this: "To be Christian, literally, is to be a 'little Christ.' It is imperative that Christians be like Jesus, by living freely within the culture as missionaries who are as faithful to the Father and his gospel as Jesus was in his own time and place" (p. 40). Driscoll offers some good questions for us to wrestle with if we want to reach the many communities we reach within our little community of the Cypress area.

If you have not recently read the account of Jesus and thewoman at the well,
I would encourage you to read John 4:1-42 and then answer thefollowing
questions.

1. Who do some Christians in your town, or the larger area inwhich you live,
consider to be Samaritans? Why do you think someChristians dislike them?
2. What parts of your town or area are like Samaria to you - theplaces you avoid
because you do not like the people who live there?
3. What were the Samaritan woman's sins? What do you thinkmight be some of hte common sins among the Samaritans in your town?
4. What pains must the woman's sins have caused her? Whatpains are your Samaritans' sins causing them?
5. In your area, where are the Jacob's wells and pagan templeswhere the Samaritans hang out?
6. What barriers did Jesus need to cross to evangelize theSamaritan woman?
What barriers would you need to cross to connect with theSamaritans in your
culture?
7. What changes took place in the woman's lifestyle? What might change in the lives of the Samaritans in your town or area if they met Jesus and repented of their sinful lifestyles?
8. Why do you think Jesus' disciples did not say anything whenthey saw him speaking with the Samaritan woman? What do you think some ofyour Christian friends might say if you befriended a Samaritan?
9. Why was the woman at the well best suited to do mission toSychar? Which
people, if converted, would be best suited for mission inyour town?
10. What was Jesus' sense of urgency for harvesting souls, and doyou and your Christian friends share his sense of urgency? Why or why not?
11. In what ways is your salvation story (or perhaps the story ofsomeone you know) similar to the story of the woman at the well?
(Mark Driscoll, The Radical Reformission pp. 40-41)

I hope this post helps all of us start being intentional about reaching our community. This is the first in a seven part series, based on the chapters of Driscoll's book. Enjoy and share any insights that we all might learn from. It has already helped us be more intentional in our new apartment. We haven't been intentional witnesses in the other places we've lived, but we intend to do better here. For example, an easy way to meet people is basic hospitality (and having two adorable kids). So Suzanne, myself, and the girls took Valentine's cupcakes to the neighbors just to say, "Hi. We're new in the neighborhood/complex." We'll pray these relationships turn into friendships.

For example, which of the questions most challenges or troubles you? Or, if there's an area where you feel like God has gifted you in line with these questions, tell us about it.