Saturday, January 20, 2007

Why Transformission?

I have been asked a few times to explain the meaning behind "transformission".

Essentially it is just a combination, obviously, of the words Transformed, word Mission(al).
I have been going through a lot of personal reflection and growth over the past three years and have just come to believe in what both of those words mean for people, the Body of Christ, and the world.

  1. Transformed: Usually when we use the word transformed in the scriptural sense we are calling up reflections on the passage in Romans where Paul says: "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." And that is by all means a good place to start, but the transformation that takes place is a total restoration, healing, and wholeness towards living in accordance with God's will. The end result of transformation is...
  2. Mission: We are transformed to an end, and that end, according to Jesus is four fold:
  • Love God with all you are
  • Love others in the same way that you love yourself. (which by the way means that if you have self esteem issues, then the love you offer to people is tainted. God wants you to be a transformed person who loves themselves and thereby loves other people with the kind of love he wants us to)
  • Build Character (Character is more than just right thinking!! It is the overflow of God's goodness from out of the heart, it is whatever you do for the least of these, it is the standard that you hold that may divide you from others, it is your private thoughts etc...IT is so much more than just agreeing on what is right, it is DOING what is right...this is the total picture of Discipleship)
  • Build the Church...yes God calls all of us to Go...make Disciples...baptize...and teach them to obey in a kingdom way RIGHT HERE AND NOW!!

So transformission is simple the recognition that God wants to change us in a way that makes a difference to us, to people, to communities, to the environment, to the world...PERIOD!

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