Cooperatio Dei

Miroslav Volf wrote in 1991, "In the past few centuries Christian theologians have come to view human work as cooperation with God." I believe that this view is drawn from scripture, one of the key texts being II Corinthians 6:1. Paul wrote in this passage, "We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain." Working with God is the heart of missional Christianity.

I have been in some wonderful meetings with Levi Price, Terry York, and Ron Cook. These men have been imparting a heart for missional living. I can't wait to get home. I belive that our church will benefit from the missional emphasis at Truett. Dr. Price has been talking some about the pioneering work of Francis DuBose, the former missions professor at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary. DuBose wrote a wonderful book titled, God Who Sends. This book was WAY ahead of its time in '83. In it he calls all Christians to embrace a missional way of life. Dubose wrote:

"Yes, we take trips, but we always come back to our houses and lands and out earth-binding things. And we always come back to our church houses and church lands and our earth-binding church things.
And missions? This is something we pay others to do. And pray for others to do. And they go. And thank God they go. But is the Christian mission an elitest vocation? Is this what the Bible says? Is this what we sense from Jesus?
Where have we missed the meaning of our pilgrim faith? Why has the biblical meaning of mission so escaped us? Where did we abandon the legacy of the Jesus way? We live before the mystique of the missional vision. But we seem to be able to keep it a vision - a vision at a safe enough distance to keep us from being compelled by its power."

Let's pray that the power of the missional vision will compell us to cooperate with God and each other in the work God is doing in the world.