Recovering a Missionary Mindset

The Christian Church of the first few centuries was a puzzle to both the religious and the irreligious.

Christianity appeared all of a sudden, relatively speaking.

Significant cultural and religious movements had always developed very slowly, always limited to a single locale.

The only way cultural movements ever managed to become multicultural was through military conquest, and even those tended toward homogenization of the conquered peoples into the culture of the victor.

Christianity was something brand new in every way.

It caught on everywhere, and quickly.

It did so through peaceful conversation and humble service.

All of the people groups who constituted the early church remained culturally the same as before they were Christian. Africans were just as African, Greeks remained Greek, Arabs didn’t lose their Arabian identity, Jews still regarded themselves as fully Jewish, and so on.

And rather than emerge slowly through subtle shifts over generations, Christianity appeared in an instant. 

Christ Jesus rose from the dead, and just like that there was a Christian Church in the world.

Just take a moment to realize how incredibly different Christianity was than anything anyone had ever experienced.

Despite popular notions that today’s Christianity is somehow responsible for “Christian Nationalism”, it most definitely is not.

Christianity is as strange today as it was in the first century, and so misunderstandings of this kind are to be expected.

But lest you doubt my assertion that Christianity is not responsible for Christian Nationalism, I’ll spend a moment unpacking that for you.

Christian Nationalism is Nationalism. It is not Christian.

It may be adhered to by some Christians, but I’m a Christian and I like Formula 1 Racing. We shouldn’t begin thinking of F1 as a Christian sport, should we?

If Christian Nationalism is properly defined by a google search, it is “an ideology that asserts a country's national identity is inextricably linked to Christianity and that the government should actively promote and preserve Christian values.”

No such claim exists in Christianity’s holy scriptures.

In fact, the Bible exhorts Christians to be subject to their ruling authorities whether they are righteous or evil.

Christians are simply taught to be good citizens of whatever nation they call home, to pray for its leaders, and to work for the common good through acts of charity and gospel testimony.

Nowhere in scripture are they told to “Christianize” their government.

Christians, as citizens of the Kingdom of God, understand that they are already perfectly governed by the King over all kings.

They are wise to expect that, at best, an earthly leader might possibly be a Christian… and will always be a sinner.

They are also taught not to expect the best case scenario any time this side of heaven.

In fact, they’re warned that they’ll suffer - even persecution. That’s starkly NOT Christian Nationalism.

But it’s Christianity.

Christians understand that there are many laws that governments must make that address concerns that are not “faith issues”.

Christians will have opinions just like anyone else, and if they live in a democratic republic they understand that their voice is one of many.

Christians, like many non-Christians, may indeed be nationalistic. But their nationalism is not to be implicated as an expression of their Christian faith.

There is no such thing as a “Christian Nation” other than the entire Christian Church on earth made up of Africans, Greeks, Arabs, Jews, Germans, Brazilians… and Americans.

And yes, even the French!

Christian Nationalism is not Christian at all, and I suspect it has been named “Christian” by people who themselves are not.

From my perspective, certain governing authorities feel threatened by genuine Christians when they use their voice to advocate for reforms.

In that respect, the Christian Church can seem threatening to government officials who endorse laws that contradict common sense morality.

But enough about that, what interests me today is the first century phenomenon of the rapid growth of the Christian Church.

The Christian Nationalism conversation, though, is relevant in that Christianity has always been perceived as a threat to the power centers of the world.

Which makes its rapid growth even more fascinating.

What did that look like?

On the one hand, Christians rejected the sexual norms of the day.

They upheld the sanctity of marriage, practiced chastity outside of it, and honored the body as a gift from God.

This wasn’t moral conservatism, it was a deeply theological affirmation of creation and resurrection.

On the other hand, they were radically generous.

Christians cared for the poor, and not just their own poor.

Christians cared for all poor… anyone in need. Never had the world seen anything like it.

They adopted unwanted infants, tended to the sick during plagues, and gave sacrificially to strangers.

The first century world didn’t have a category for that kind of compassion.

They were also fiercely committed to truth and forgiveness.

They refused to participate in idol worship, even when it cost them everything.

Yet they didn’t respond to persecution with revenge, but with love. Martyrs died praying for their executioners.

So the world asked: Who are these people?

The answer: they were disciples of Jesus.



That was the entire answer. These were men and women whose lives bore the imprint of His cross and resurrection.

Today, we face a similar moment.

The Church is called, now as always, to be a “contrast society”.

This is not combative, neither is it cloistered.

Christianity, as always, is distinctly Christ-like in a culture that doesn’t know what to do with grace, truth, or sacrificial love.

Some of our neighbors may hold to secular values of freedom and self-expression.

Others may lean toward moral rigidity and rule-based righteousness.

But the Gospel offers something different from both.

The Bible speaks a word that neither side expects: everyone is guilty - more than they could imagine, and everyone has been fully redeemed, without qualifications, by the blood of Jesus Christ.

That’s the foundation of a missionary encounter.

Every need is urgent, whether physical, emotional, spiritual, economic, or circumstantial in any other way. Jesus loves, so we love.

And yet every issue is also urgent, whether philosophical, legal, ethical, or religious in nature.

God has shown us what truly righteous government looks like, and He has given us prayer as our primary means of achieving it.

To live this way is not easy. It requires courage, humility, and deep dependence on the Spirit.

After all, loving one’s enemies implies a desire to see them prosper.

The first century Christians understood this well. Let’s pray that today’s Church remains similarly engaged. Amen.