Missional Vocation: Missional Living and Faith

by Natalie McLaury

For the past few weeks, Ryan and I have been sharing our thoughts on Missional Vocation. We’ve applied the idea to the workplace, the community, and the home. The idea of Missional Vocation in the various realms in which we interact is a good one; as Christians, we are called to live out our faith. As Christ’s disciples in the year 2011, we are compelled to follow the Great Commission that was laid out thousands of years ago.

Now that we have considered a few different ideas about missional living, however, we need to take a step back. Ultimately, we cannot be missional in our actions with our co-workers, our neighbors, and our family members, unless we have a right relationship with our Lord and Savior.

If the coaches of the Green Bay Packers were using the same plays season after season, with the same players in the same positions, they probably wouldn’t be very effective. In order to better their team and win games, they have to be continuously learning. The coaches must research new plays, study lineups, and have an understanding of the game that is always growing and evolving. A stagnant team will never be a successful team.

The same could be said about our faith. A stagnant faith has the power to hinder missional living. To be effective missionaries, wherever we are and whomever we encounter, we have to be continuously growing in our own faith journeys. Much like the Packers study the playbooks, we must study our playbook: the Bible. A deeper understanding of the Word will better equip us to live it out. A more consistent prayer life will better equip us to use it as a tool. A disciplined devotional practice will better equip us to keep missional living a priority.

I encourage you, and myself, to be missional. Be missional in your occupation. Be missional in your community. Be missional in your home. But first, be diligent and intentional about your faith, your beliefs, and your relationship with Jesus Christ. Sharpen this and watch God teach you, grow you, and use you.

Hebrews 12:11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.