Shaping a Theology of Mission Part 3

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Teleological Trinitarianism: "In the beginning God..."

The Biblical statment, 'In the beginning God...' necessarily indicates an end to God's purpose as well. If we understand the Bible as the meta-narrative in which all of history is being played out (with absolute truth), than how we are oriented to that grand story will greatly impact the life and mission of the church. When we embrace the telic nature of God we are embracing hope, we are believing in the final outworking of God's fundamental pattern in how he always relates to a rebellious creation: anger and wrath because He is holy, than a merciful and gracious invitation of reconciliation.

The Teleological, Triune God anchors the mission of the church in a clear and unhindered truth: that God knows what He is doing and where we are going. As the Church, we must embrace our grounding in the telc meta-narrative that sets us firmly on a track of hope, ultimately ending in our total fulfillment. Our eschatology should not serve as theological conversations over lattes; rather it should serve as missional motivation for today. The telic truths we hold should ignite our missional fervor to reach the peoples of the earth who have not heard the Gospel!

First, as the church, we alone possess the truthful knowledge of Christ's immanent return: He is coming again to judge the living and dead. Do we need much more motivation than that to reach an unbelieving world? Isn't this truth why we are evangelicals? Second, the knowledge of what God has planned for us his people, must sustain us through the trials and tribulations we face as we engage the kingdom of darkness with the light of the glory of God, Jesus Christ, who is the Gospel. Our Missio Dei hermeneutic, as a means of living out fully the 'others' focused life which God intends for his children (how much are we being made into the image of the Son?) should be oriented in the hope and reality of Teleological Trinitarianism.

An additional thought in the post-modern...
I continue to see within our ministry, the incredible scope and enormity of social networking platforms like Facebook and Myspace.com. It really is amazing to think that in two months I can have 1700 new 'friends'. In my estimation, the social networking phenomenon speaks to and attempts to scratch the itch of our deepest desire for community, for relationship, for meaning and purpose, a nagging and relentless desire to participate in a grander meta-narrative in this age of deconstructing everything.

The Bible would tell us that there is a grand story being played out, mainly one of light overcoming darkness, of justice and righteousness being realized before our eyes. An unbelieving world longs for the overarching plan, the story of stories, where your story and my story aren’t left on the shelf, but read out loud, complementing and even propelling history as we know it. And we the church, have a part to play in it, the opportunity to live for something greater than the bill of goods the world has sold us. And not just for our sake, but for all the peoples of the earth, in all places, and for God's glory.

When we tap into this social current: watch out! When the Triune God moves into the hearts of humanity, extending his Kingdom reign, and this people of hope gladly reveal Him to creation: watch out! Let us engage people with this grand story and the hope it offers. Let us lead others to a life lived outside of themselves. Let us get face to face with the needs of the world armed with the Gospel of Life, and we'll see people come face to face with True Hope and watch the world transform before our very eyes.