Missional Examples from the New Testament

Being missional is normal for all believers in the New Testament. To be a Christian and not being missional is like a person who claims to be a guitarist but has never picked up a guitar. It just doesn't make sense.

When we think about people in the New Testament who lived out their lives missionally we often think about the bigger names. We think of folks like Paul, Peter, John the Baptist, Philip and Barnabas. We often place these men in the superstar category of Christianity. They certainly were strong believers, but many of them stated that they were just ordinary men who chose to obey what God called them to do.

But there are lesser known or more obscure men and women who set missional examples for us to follow today. Allow me to highlight a few very ordinary people who set the example of living missionally for Jesus.

*Andronicus and Junias (Rom. 16:7): This man and woman were outstanding missional people. They were well known as apostles (which means sent ones) and their work caught the attention of Paul who mentions them here in Romans. Many people have never heard of them but here we find people who lived out what it meant to be sent out.

*Many Unnamed Believers from Thessalonica (1 Thess 1:5-10): These newer believers were reported to have; become imitators of the Lord, had much tribulation, became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and beyond, spread the word of the Lord everywhere they went so that Paul had no need to say anything. Now that is living missionally. What were their names again? Right, they are nameless.

*The Handicapped Man (John 9): Here is a story of a man who was born blind, was healed by Jesus, probably as an adult, and then he went and confounded and confused the religious leaders of his day right after his sight was restored. He wasn't educated, wasn't trained by a Pharisee nor did he have much time to learn anything about his new faith and freedom. He began his faith living largely missional.

*The Nameless Immoral Woman (John 4): Here is very loose woman had previously lived with several men and was currently living with a new guy. She met Jesus at a well, learned about living water and went back to the city to tell everyone to come and hear Jesus. She intuitively began her walk of faith in Jesus with a missional bent.

*Lois and Eunice (2 Tim. 1:5): These two women poured their faith into Timothy (son and grandson of these women) which then began his journey to being missional as well.

*The Unnamed Saints of Acts 8:1-4ff: Here we find all of the 'common' people (I hate those terms) who scattered out of Jerusalem because of persecution and went to the surrounding areas where the Gospel of Jesus Christ spread like wildfire. The leaders or apostles remained in Jerusalem and everyone else fled and became missional in unknown places.

Over and over again, we see the 'everyday' people of the New Testament being missionally focused. They were not waiting for a pastor or apostle or missionary or seminary graduate to come and do the missional work for them. They knew that they were chosen by Christ, anointed by Christ and sent by Christ to proclaim the truth of Christ everywhere they roamed.

Do you think that the 'common' people of Christ today believe they are to live missionally? Why or why not? I'd love to hear from you.

Next time, let's discuss what success is when we live missionally.