From the beginning, and without letup, I drank from Wright's book as if from a fire hose, which was at once instructive and inspiring, insightful and intrepid. Wright's innate chiastic style combined with his exhaustive, encyclopedic familiarity with Scripture merged with his fast, efficient pace to propel me through 300 pages without a weary moment. For me, Wright's grounding as an Old Testament scholar provided him with the unique credentials to tackle the subject of missions from the perspective he did, which not only did not minimize the first covenant but made the case that the Gospel is not the Gospel without it. Throughout the text, Wright compares the uncannily similar, often identical language of both Old and New Testaments.
Wright's analysis was compelling that the true attractiveness of Christianity lies within the people of God, which comprises "missional magnetism," which is a "centripetal force, God's own gravitational pull, that draws people into the sphere of his blessing." Most believers will have to admit that the majority of thinking about missions comes from a centrifugal orientation, of taking the Gospel outward to the masses. Thinking about attracting the masses to the Gospel via centripetal force is both inspired and biblical. In his words, "If we are to speak of Jesus with integrity, we have to resemble him" (131). What this amounts to is "drawing others into his magnetic field rather than repelling them still further" (136), which fulfills the biblical mandates for both mission and ethics. A similar thought is, "Light is attractive. It draws you in out of the darkness" (139), which can be compared to Isa. 60:3, "Nations will come to your light" (cf Isa. 49:6; Matt. 5:14-16; Phil. 2:14-16).
Far from the common exhortation from guilt for not being more mission-minded, Wright presents throughout a biblical perspective that pulls rather than pushes people into a missional mentality, beginning with the responsibility of knowing God, which "was never merely private and it was never merely spiritual" (151). Using more chiastic language, "to know God is to be challenged to make God known" (152) -- after all, it is "God's own will to be known" (Ibid.). He is a unique God, unlike any other, demonstrated amply throughout scripture, e.g. the Exodus story (cf Acts 4:12), which shows "not just who really is God, but what God is really like" (157). The unavoidable conclusion is that "the knowledge that there is no other God and no other name leaves no other choice than to make him known" (161).
The recurring theme of living right in order to rightly represent God to others returns in every chapter, e.g. living under the reign of God prior to preaching about the reign of God, or in other words, witness has to flow from transformation (163). Not until chapter 11, nearly two-thirds through, does Wright address what most view is the totality of evangelism, the proclaimed message. Even here, he unites the two testaments seamlessly into the undivided mission of God via Jesus' own words quoting Isa. 61:1-3 in Luke 4:16-19. Wright comments, "The prophetic voice of the ancient text has become the living voice of the one now reading it" (187).
The New Testament Gospel is the continuing good news about all the good news about God. In Wright's words, "The gospel, then, is fundamentally good news of the reign of God" (188). Such good news, however, cannot come from those who do not bear the aroma of Christlikeness. Again, Wright's dominant subtheme surfaces: "The gospel that is intrinsically verbal is just as intrinsically ethical. These things are as integral as life and breath. There is no gospel where there is no change" (196).
Readers are hard put to find a facet of the missional diamond that Wright does not explore at length. Throughout scripture, God authorizes and sends messengers who would save others through their message. Wright captures this as, "God sends because God saves because God promised" (204). Again, Wright reminds persistently, there is no division of testaments or of God's family -- all his people are missional for the nations, starting with Abraham and all who have been and will be blessed through him, among whom are included the apostles or "sent ones." Wright zeroes in on another aspect of the whole church being missional -- "All of us, the sent and the senders, are working together for the truth. That is the responsibility and the privilege of Christian mission" (220) -- to which he perceptively adds, "the mission of God's people is far too big to be left only to missionaries" (222).
Wright accurately assesses the church as thinking God only cares about new souls for the kingdom and his church, but does not really care about what goes on in society. He tackles this under-addressed issue with the same thoroughness of matters seemingly more weighted toward the meta-message of missions. Yet, in keeping with his whole Bible and only one people theme, Wright reminds that God created the earth and it is part of mankind's existence. Everything that takes place on it concerns him. In short, "God governs the public square, and all else" (226), which triggers Wright's perspective that believers are "called to constructive engagement in the world," which is to be balanced with "courageous confrontation with the world" (229). Rather than leave readers there, Wright adds that believers must do "both with equal biblical conviction" (ibid.), which is shining light into darkness and bringing salt where it is needed -- in short, mission is outside the walls of the church (272).
Saving the best for last, Wright focuses on the under-addressed missional aspects of praise and worship, returning again to the centripetal attractiveness of true Christianity. He states succinctly, "Worship and witness are closely intertwined" (251). All of the above intertwined become "integral mission" (277), which in two words captures the essence of the author's message. Wright's rare and inspired insight into the unity of God's mission in the world, in scripture, and in his people answered eloquently and engagingly his original question, "Who are We and What Are We Here For?"
I can't communicate enough my depth of appreciation for Wright's book and my now newly reinforced and revamped understanding of mission in my unique jail ministry environment. Unlike some who might wrestle with the church's mission versus mission outside the church walls, indeed, everywhere outside the walls, my ministry consists of both church and mission simultaneously.
Wright's core subtheme of ethics and mission being inseparable spoke deeply to my heart, as God has impressed heavily on me this highly critical reality, and on which personal integrity I have built my reputation and ministry.
Because of Wright's volume, I am freshly reinforced and reinvigorated in everything I had known before. As well, my current academic and ministry experiences have been clarified, confirmed, enlarged, strengthened, and validated. Wright's message has directly and immediately enhanced my life and ministry in every way.
The Mission of God's People: A Biblical Theology of the Church's Mission
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Condition of package was torn such that a corner of the CD was peeking out. CD itself looks good and hopefully plays well.
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Cheryl Cunningham
Truly inspiring
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on December 1, 2013Trust Ndlovu
The packaging was excellent.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 28, 2020
