LEAVING:
The word Mission theologically means “to be sent” and leaving is where living like a missionary really begins. Leaving isn’t just about going overseas or participating in short or long term mission trips, it’s about replacing personal and Christian activities with time spent building relationships with people in the surrounding culture.
Whatever your situation is, there are plenty of reasons that we don’t do this on a regular basis. However, Jesus spent countless hours with those outside of the faith and 99% of the miracles performed happened outside of the church walls. So if we want to live an intentionally Missional life then we have to look no further than Jesus- who embodied the message by the way he lived and the people he surrounded himself with.
Maybe in your personal devotions or in a group setting, try reading through one of the Gospels and look for the places where Jesus did ministry. Is there a pattern that you see? Are there places that Jesus seems to spend a lot of time? Did Jesus seem to have a strategy to his missional journey? Who did Jesus hang out with?
Then, according to what you read, imagine if Jesus were here in the flesh today. What would his ministry look like if he were in Phoenix? Where would he hang out? Who would he hang out with? Does your life reflect what you think His would be like?
Here are a few examples of what leaving looks like:
Doing what you love with others
Committing one meal per week with a Sojourner
Going out of your way to build relationships
Looking for chances to talk to strangers
Finding your “Third Place”
Being intentional about building friendships at your Third Place
*Remember, Leaving is the first step in the missional-incarnational process.
Some questions to reflect on:
- What are some things you love to do that would be easy to invite Sojourners to do with you?
- What are some things that might be a struggle to give up in order to spend time connecting with people?
- Do you have a third place? If not, think and pray about a place that you can regularly plant yourself so you can practice Leaving and pray that God will provide you opportunities to connect with Sojourners there.
