I recently had one of those moments where I heard something and had an immediate reaction to what was said…then thought, ‘Whoa, a couple years ago I would have not had that reaction.’

And I can pretty much guarantee, you are going to read this and go…geez, what is her problem, but I just want to see if I can bust your view open just a bit and maybe find that some already agree with me.

The other day, a great friend of mine prayed, ‘God, help us to be missional Christians.’

Nothing wrong with that? Right? I sometimes lose my words when praying…rather consistently, really, but…

Perhaps we should talk about what it means to be a Christian? You have your belief in Christ, the acceptance of the death on a cross, the resurrection…and all of the ‘basics,’ right?

But that’s not really it…consider for a moment what God calls each Christian to be after the belief.

Soak up this from John 13:34-35.

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

Well, sure…right…but hear this, loving one another…is participating in God’s mission.

Everyone tries to make it complicated. There are a million books telling you how to be ‘missional’ and a half a million conferences you can go to on any given weekend. But…the bottom line is do you profess to follow Jesus and listen to what he said? I’m hoping the answer is yes, but either way…

Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25:34-40)

It is wholly impossible to be a Christian and say ‘no’ being missional. All the gifts God gives us, all of the knowledge He imparts and the overflowing of love He showers us with are all for us to love others. If you want it in simple terms…being missional is loving others because of the love Christ gives you. There doesn’t have to be ‘extra’ effort, or ‘trying’ to fit it in. Or memorization. Or the awkwardness of explaining it all work for word. It is being exactly who God created you to be, and bringing others along with you. Tell people what God has been for you in your life, and step back to let Him work in theirs. Too many times we get in the way.

Oh, and don’t forget to pay attention to all of those words printed in RED.

Now go be a Christian!