"We have a ghetto mentality. We think of church as the faithful few, backs against the wall. But in fact during the week we are dispersed throughout the world. We are already infiltrating the kingdom of Satan. Day by day the people in our churches are rubbing shoulders with unbelievers in their workplaces, schools, neighborhoods, and clubs. We are yeast in the dough (Matthew 13:33). ... The challenge for us is to make the gospel the center of our lives not just on Sunday mornings but on Monday mornings. This means ending distinctions between 'full-timers,' 'part-timers,' and people with secular employment in our team and leadership structures. We need non-full-time leaders who can model whole-life, gospel-centered, missional living. It means thinking of our workplaces, homes, and neighborhoods as the location of mission. We need to plan and pray for gospel relationships. This means creating church cultures in which we see normal, celebrating day-to-day gospel living in the secular world and discussions of how we can use our daily routines for the gospel." (pages 36-37)
Doesn't this begin to describe the church that could actually storm the gates of hell? Doesn't this begin to diagnose what is failing in our one-hour-on-Sunday churches, our drop-the-kids-off-for-Sunday-School-and-go-out-for-brunch spirituality? What might the world look like if Christians discussed -- earnestly -- how to use our daily routines for the gospel? What would the church look like if we were committed to "pray for gospel relationships"? These are not complicated tasks, but they are certainly important -- and all too often undone.
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