Hi, I am still working on updating my website. This means some of the content is not accessible. I am sorry about this :) Have a great day!
Search
Close this search box.

Tribe or Mission?

Share post ->

Got this from Matt Adair’s blog which he quote from Tullian‘s (reference of a reference 🙂
There’s a radical difference between tribal and missionary mindsets. The highest value of the tribal-minded is self-protection. Since these people feel safest around those just like them, they ask, “How can I protect myself from those who are different?” They intentionally surround themselves with those who think the way they think, like the things they like, and despise the things they despise.We all seek out sameness, as John Seel notes: “We cope by settling into our safe intellectual cliques—our favorite blog, cable channel, or e-zine—where our own views are reinforced and applauded. Without really trying, we can easily lose sight of the wider horizon and fail to listen to those who do not think as we do.”As a result, tribally minded people live with a sense of superiority, looking down on those who are unlike them. This is the “fashionable” posture of our culture.In contrast, the highest aim of mission-minded people is not self-protection but self-sacrifice. Mission-minded people exist not primarily for themselves but for others. They’re willing to set aside personal preferences in service to those with different preferences. They’re willing to be inconvenienced, discomforted, and spent for the well-being of others.….
This difference between mission-mindedness and tribal-mindedness is illustrated well in a note I received recently from my good friend Mike about a recent conversation he had with his wife, Nicole:

Nicole and I were in downtown Fort Lauderdale today. As we were leaving, we passed a park. It was a really nice park, but there was a whole group of homeless people hanging out there. I commented to Nicole that, as nice as the park was, I wouldn’t be able to just walk the kids through the park if we lived down there. Her response to me stung. She said, “Yes you would. You’d just have to go into the park for a different reason. You could go in and pass out bag lunches.” Then she said, “Christians need to remember that, given God’s mission, they exist for the city; the city doesn’t exist for them.” Ouch!

Nicole understands rightly the gospel’s demand for this unfashionable mindset, because the gospel is the story of God sacrificing himself for others.—–
Nicole’s statement is a great reminder of our role as Christians in the world. We are to serve the city. The city doesn’t serve me. I am a living sacrifice for those around me.

You might also like

Dust off a book

Dusting off this blog

I have been blogging since 2005. That’s almost 20 years! Though not very consistent. What started with a triathlon blog turned into a Christian blog. And I stopped blogging in 2011 after I came to Singapore. These days, I’ve shared most of my thoughts on social media (Facebook, Instagram and

Fruit for thought: The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill

I recently finished listening to the whole series of podcasts on The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill. It has been a sobering podcast to listen to. I highly recommend for those who are in seminary or going to ministry full-time to listen to. It is a good reminder that

Five Books Recommended for Christian Parents

Here are a few books I highly recommend for Christian parents. I read them for my M Div thesis. My thesis was persuading how parents should discipling their children, not the church. Book #1 – The Disciple-making Parent by Chap Bettis I never thought my role as a father was