Missional Marketing- "Healing of the nation"

Everyday I love the Lord more and more as I continue to learn the true and reasonable gospel of Jesus Christ that shines through consistent fulfilled theology. Yet, the burden always stands that we need more missionaries, more door to door evangelists, more teachers and preachers to teach the proper view of the kingdom of God, of which I believe is the healing of the nations (Revelation 22:).




In line with what I just spoke about in the video, I am looking to do my part. Called as a reformer of the Church, a healer of the nations through the gospel of Jesus, I will do all I can to display the message and help others understand it clear enough that it takes root in their lives (oddly, the word radical is derived in Latin from "being rooted").

Learning from the network marketing sector, and being fully convinced of the gospel of Jesus Christ, I seek to do all that I can to get the message out. WE NEED MISSIONARIES!

So, Missionary Marketing is my brand/business to utilize my passionate energy ("zeal empowered by knowledge") to get the gospel out! Working namely within the Preterist camp, I want to begin networking properly.

You help me by spreading the word of what I am doing, helping me get invites and events, etc..I will help your cause by promoting you by any means necessary! What do you think?

Message me on Facebook, email me at p.mike_miano@yahoo.com, or give me a call at (239) 603-5695.


I look forward to working with you.

Blessings in Christ,

Pastor Michael Miano

VISIT MY SPEAKING PAGE @

HTTP://WWW.ZEALEMPOWEREDBYKNOWLEDGE.COM
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The Perfect Christmas Story: The need for a Consistent Gospel

December 25th, is known by many as the day that Christians celebrate the birth of the Messiah Jesus. Granted there are many who claim Jesus is the Christ yet do not attribute any value to December 25th and cite a variety of reasons.

We see nighborhood lawns decorated with the nativity scene, a moment to reflect on a time long long ago when a baby was born in a manger in a little town called Bethlehem. Yet, we also see the roadways packed with traffic, the shopping malls cluttered with frantic shoppers, and consumerism having a sort of parade that competes with the values that were later taught by this baby Messiah.

It seems that this celebration is a bit inconsistent. Although it does not stop there. The sad reality is that the distorted celebration of the Messsiah's birth is bred by a distorted storyline. Logically, it only makes sense that if the story itself is completely confusion and inconsistent the product or action it will produce will be the same.

So...what's the Christmas story you know or have heard? As Christians, this story, which is the gospel that our Messiah was born into this world to bring to men (John chaper 1), should be of vital importance. We must understand it, live it, and reproduce it, after all, Christian does mean "little Christ's", right?

In my following of Christ, I have done everything I could to present this message to the world, whether it was simply living a life that glorifies Christ or radically proclaiming the message from the rooftops (sometimes quite literally), I have been willing to entertain other understandings of this message- in an effort to understand the consistency of the gospel message- or for this message- the perfect Christmas story.

Recently I had made a habit of attending a local Unitarian Universalist congregation which is a group that seeks to exhibit a message of understanding that faith is subjective and it is through willing to allow others to grow that "god" is realized, or quite possibly in their belief, the lack thereof. One day their minister delivered a message in regards to what it is a Unitarian Universalist believes, and he quoted an article written by Reverand David Bumbaugh, a professor at Meadville Lombard Theological School in which he said:

"Unitarian Univeralists have, I believe, an implicit faith position that has evolved over time as a result of our engagement with the world, a faith position that we seem reluctant to make explicit. It is a faith position that seeks to provide a sense of meaning to our existence; a position that challenges us to live responsibly in the world and to engage the challenges constantly confronting us"

I continually attended these meetings, and I will admit I always had a sense of "holy frustration". I have continually quoted to others in Christ that I feel the UU position is one that keeps peoplein a room running in circles denying the fact that their are walls. Many of these congregants are very intelligent and have been dismayed with the unreasonable, inconsistent, and often times unreliable message that the "Christian Church" has offered. I had a meeting with their minister and he told me how he was led away from his position as a Christian pastor by means of studying and realizing certain parts of the message didn't sit well with reality. This saddened me. Although, it is sadly true that many Christians and churches fail to offer a consistent and reasonable message that demonstrates our explicit position in Christ. Do you know your foundation, can can you explain it?

Again and again, I realize that much of the distortion of the Christian message comes from presuppositions built upon presuppositions. A presupposition is an assumption that comes beforehand or to something that is taken for granted in advance. In Christian communities this is challenged as inserting something into the text or your own interpretation. This is clearly demonstrated when I meet with the Mormons who offer a new gospel in an effort to restore the message of Jesus Christ. The sad truth again is that, YES, the gospel does need to be restored but without faulty presuppositions that are ever clear in their tradition, traced back to why Joseph Smith even prayed to God for wisdom. Many friends in different streams of Christianity offer faulty presuppositions when they take something I say and add to it (for example, if we are living in the new heavens and new earth therefore there is no longer any need for the gospel). Also, many challenge true Biblical teachings based on what they have always felt they already knew or what seems logical and the only right way, to them! Faulty presuppositions come up in any Bible study, especially when dealing with morals and ethics, yet these same false views have led to dispensationalism, the history & theology of the Jehovah Witnesses, and many other brands in the Christian church.

As Charles Spurgeon put it, ""I believe a very large majority of church goers … are merely the stolid, unthinking, slumbering worshippers of an unknown God". Unfortunately, many of the scholars are sitting in circles amongst each other and giving truth to yet another quote by Mr. Spurgeon, "A lie will go round the world while truth is pulling its boots on". A great read concerning this is A Road Back to Preterissm by Kurt Simmons. (This article can be found at Preterist Central.com).

To be quite honest. I am sick of hearing about shoppers killing another shopper over a toy around the celebration of the Messiah, I am antagonized by killings in my area, at the mall, around the Christmas season, and I am bothered by the nonsense story that has taken place of the true gospel story. So what do I resolve to do? Attack back! As much as the ways of this "world" seek to attack the kingdom of God which is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, we in the kingdom of God must wage war as well. How ready is your armor?

I truly believe we can fix the problem by missionally living out what I have come to call an emerging profitable Christianity which is demonstrated with a consistent message. Make sense? That is exactly it! We must let the good news become good news, not an odd quirky story of spiritual nonsense that "works for you". Are you willing to not only explain the perfect Christmas story that began when that baby was born in Bethlehem, but also live in its reality today?

Take a look at Luke chapter 2. A man named Simeon was waiting for what? The consolation of Israel! And he would be alive until when? Until he seen the Lord's Christ! And what did he prophesy about the child?

"Soveriegn Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for the revelation to the Gentiles and for the glory of your people Israel...this child is destined to cause the rising and falling of many in Israel, and to be a sign spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too".

and of course it doesn't stop there. Concerning the prophetess Anna the Scripture says "she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all where looking toward to the redemption of Jerusalem". Immediately we read of Jesus growing up and going about the Father's business proclaiming the fullfillment of prophecy and proclaiming the nearness of the kingdom of God.

I must question. Is this the gospel message that you are being taught? I always hear a subjective, out of context, personal salvation- might I dare say boyfriend jesus message in many churches rather than the fulfillment of prophecy to Israel, salvation of Israel, which would be a light to the Gentiles. That is what is in Scripture.

In a decaying world outside the gates of the kingdom of God, many Christians offer dirty water as the message of Christ:

in once sentence it is said, death is destroyed by Christ and now we have eternal life, yet we say we cannot be living in the realities of the kingdom because people still die. Many say we are in the presence of God, yet when we die we will go into His presence. Some speak of hell as being an eternal place, yet the Word says Hades will be thrown into the lake of fire. Many preach that we are the kingdom of God, and then speak of a yet future kingdom of God. The Scriptures say that sin is what leads us to Jesus, and that the Gospel is eternal, yet many preach a false hope of a kingdom without sin, and therefore without the need for Jesus.

We must get with the program! We are not offering the healing of the nations that is so desperately needed, and can be found in a consistent gospel message- or in this case the perfect Christmas story.

The good news is that an emerging profitable Christianity is on the horizon. Sometimes we must emerge amidst the nonsense, and truly offer something profitable- this is the remnant always spoken of in the Bible.

GOOD NEWS:

A CHILD WAS BORN, A SON WAS GIVEN, AND HIS GOVERNMENT IS ON HIS SHOULDERS, HE IS CALLED WONDERFUL COUNSELOR, MIGHTY GOD, EVERLASTING FATHER, PRINCE OF PEACE. THE INCREASE OF HIS GOVERNMENT AND PEACE WILL HAVE NO END FROM THE TIME HE WAS BORN TO FOREVER (ISAIAH 9:6-7). HE HAS SET UP A KINGDOM THAT HAS AND WILL CONTINUE TO CRUSH ALL OTHER KINGDOMS, BUT HIS KINGDOM WILL ENDURE FOREVER (DANIEL 2:44). THIS IS A KINGDOM OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, PEACE, AND JOY IN THE HOLY SPIRIT (ROMANS 14:18). YOU CAN BE SAVED FROM THIS PERVERSE GENERATION BY FINDING SALVATION IN HIM (), THANK GOD HE FULFILLED THE PROPHECIES (LUKE 21:20-22, HEBREWS 9:28; 1 CORINTHIANS 10:11) TO BRING SALVATION. IN THIS WORLD WHICH WILL NEVER END (EPHESIANS 4:21) AS GENERATIONS COME AND GO (ECCLESIASTES 1:4) WE HAVE THE ETERNAL GOSPEL (REVELATION 14:6) WHICH WILL CONTINUE TO BE THE HEALING OF THE NATIONS (REVELATION 22:2) AS WE INVITE PEOPLE TO COME INTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD (REVELATION 22:14-17) BY BEING REBORN (JOHN CHAPTER 3).

I hope this bears fruit in your life, blessings in Christ,
Pastor Michael Miano

Give us men in the pulpit...that fear God & think the gospel good enough for anybody & make no apology for preaching it-A.T. Robertson

P.S.- Here is a brother in Christ's blog that discusses the same stuff but probably a bit more clearer than my crazy mind works. :)

http://ultimatereality-revdannyfoster.blogspot.com/?spref=fb

My NY TIMES Response: The Baby's Bathwater

In response to an article I read in The NY Times, which can be found here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/18/opinion/the-evangelical-rejection-of-reason.html
This was my response which I emailed to them and just might possibly be in the papers soon:

The Baby’s Bathwater

Last week I sat down with a friend who happens to be a Unitarian Universalist pastor. I shared with him my views of theology, eschatology, and how I am encouraged by the postmodern worldview that is taking place as well as my discouragement concerning the prevalent anti-intellectual attitude alive in the Church. Here it was a 27 year old radically engaged Christian pastor and an above 50 years of age reverend of a Unitarian Universalist Congregation, sharing salad and stories, hopeful of what the information age will bring to pass.

Since I shared my views of how my “thinking” and studying the Scriptures led me to be dismissed and ostracized by the “big church” in our location, I was delighted and inspired when he text messaged me concerning the NY Times article titled “The Evangelical Rejection of Reason”, that was in the opinions section on October 17, 2011.

After reading and re-reading the article a couple times, as well as getting feedback from many Facebook friends, I am responding to this article that brought me a breath of fresh air. Time and time again, especially in political and religious atmospheres, we hear the statement: “Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater”, yet it is about time that we recognize what exactly is the baby and what is the bathwater. Why? Because the bathwater is full of bacteria and its dirt is getting all over the baby and even to the extent of getting the filth all over those seeking to take the baby out of the bacteria-infested water. At this point one might realize I am speaking of the man-made doctrines in the Church that are accepted as Biblical, yet fail to stand against scrutiny and ultimately “spit in the face of Jesus”.

I seek not to be prideful, arrogant, or to throw stones at anyone- yet as the NY Times article rightly said: “But when the faith of so many Americans becomes an occasion to embrace discredited, ridiculous and even dangerous ideas, we must not be afraid to speak out, even if it means criticizing fellow Christians”. This is exactly the point! As I read this NY Times article I didn’t spend time dwelling on the “side issues” that were brought up to make clear the point of- the evangelical rejection of reason- rather I saw complete agreement, considering it is my reason and being “too intellectual” which has gotten me rejected by many.

As a missionally engaged Christian on the frontlines of radically spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, I can say I am grateful for the postmodern atmosphere of critiquing and questioning. As Mark A. Noll wrote in his book, “The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind”, “The scandal of the evangelical mind is that there is not much of an evangelical mind”, and that is clearly demonstrated as the authors of the NY Times article explained through the fundamentalist slogan- “The Bible says it, I believe it, that settles it”. Oh, how us students of the Bible wish it was that easy, considering the vast disagreements in all areas of theology so alive in the Church. It is discernment, disagreement, and intellectual honesty that have led to the expanding reach of the Christian gospel, in Spirit and Truth.

The popular evangelical Christian doctrines set up various views that force its proponents to look at reason, study, and any form of knowledge outside there confines as arrogant, misled, and heretical. Many man-made doctrines that have been passed off as “Biblical” lead to excessive conspiracy theories in all fields concerning science, history, and the like. Authors Timothy P. Martin & Jeffrey L. Vaughn, explain, detail, and document this in their book, “Beyond Creation Science: New Covenant Creation From Genesis to Revelation” making bold statements such as “The real reason the influence of secular unbelief is so great in our day lies in the widespread failure of Christians to understand the Bible in its own context and to present a real Christianity to the world…Christians have lost influence in Western society precisely because Christians have not thought deeply or acted wisely in response to the cultural challenges modernity presents to the Christian faith”. Also, speaking of a growing group of conservative evangelicals the authors wrote, “They also wonder what it will take to bring about the demise of dispensational premillenialism in America which has retreated from reasoned biblical defense of the view”.

Yet, true to form I will always present the case of the good news. I was encouraged by the above mentioned NY Times article because I see something on the horizon (I myself am an example). The Age of Enlightenment came with a lot of criticism toward the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Emergent generation- X rebelled against the fundamentalist Christianity offered by their parents, and today the postmodern generation provides challenges yet inquiring Christian minds are seeking to provide answers, dare I say a resurrection of the gospel. This is something I like to call emerging profitable Christianity, which is pushing away the “simplistic theology, cultural isolationism, and stubborn anti-intellectualism” of pop-culture Christianity. Many, myself included, are seeking to be an example of a true Christian worldview that can take on whatever it is that the world seeks to offer, rationally and reasonably. We refuse to get caught up in the right and wrongs of gay marriage, the contrast of political parties, and seek to engage science and history with an open mind standing on our foundation in Christ- all in an effort to bring healing to the nations as ambassadors of the kingdom of God.

Admittedly, this is a long, hard, and sometimes lonely task. Yet we are continually encouraged through conversation with one another, an authentic way of living Christ-like, and the ever-reforming challenge to wash the dirty water off the Messiah-baby Jesus Christ through critical, loving, challenging and welcoming conversations.
It’s emerging…

Michael Miano is pastor of The Fellowship C.H.U.R.C.H. in Fort Myers, Florida. He is currently working on a seeking- to- be published autobiographical tale called Freaked-Out by the New Covenant: What Your Life Would, Could, or Should Be. Also, an avid You Tuber and blogger. Visit the church website at http://www.freakedoutfellowship.weebly.com

Missional: Attacking the Static- Part 5 (A Theology that WORKS)

Good day my friends. Please don't mind if I vent a bit. This blog is being written at no better a time because of how clear I am seeing the pharasaic attributes of the church which serve to stagnate the church and it's mission. If we look at the modern church and consider the time of Christ we see very similar diversion tactics being used by those who want to defend their view or institution. For example, consider time when Jesus began to explain that the Sabbath was made for the man not man for the Sabbath, the Pharisees looked for ways to accuse Him according to the Law rather than see the truth in the matter at hand (Mark 2:23-3:6). Another example is that as Jesus is teaching the Truth of the law and do miracles the religious people continually find reasons to question what He is doing for example in Matthew 15:1-20, they focus on the fact that Jesus' disciples do not wash their hands before they eat and therefore break the tradition of the elders. Legalism, what you should not be doing, was the greatest method of diversion to get people to ignore what Jesus was truly doing, and it even extends to the Apostles. Consider all the times that the Apostle Paul had to explain and reiterate the difference between law and grace and was constantly accused of making it ok for people to sin( Romans chapters 2-7; Galatians chapters 2-3; Ephesians chapter 2; might I add that you should just read the New Testament as a whole). Today, many in the Church are clearly allowing a man to determine where they will stand in regards to the truth and are not studying things for themselves, and that's depressing because one must consider how many Jews in the first centruy where led astray by this tactic- following their Rabbi. In Matthew chapter 23, Jesus Christ is issue the judgement text as to what is going to happen to the religious teachers of the Law in his time, might we read in context yet glean some wisdom from blindly following teachings that may just seem right:

" Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are (Matthew 23:13-15)".

This week I sat down with a Jehovah Witness and during our 3 hour discussion/ debate he continually emphasized that I remind him of Obama because of how well spoken I am. Obviously, this diversion tactic was used to say that it's my speaking that is convincing, not my theology. At this point I am all to familiar with diversion tactics and strawmen that are used to confuse and diffuse truth (Check out my video series on Pulling Apart the Strawman). Fact is, truth will prevail!! And since it has been said that I am similar to Obama, I will stay true to form and say- "There is hope"! :)

There is hope that the truth will prevail over the deceit, deception, falsehood and lies that are a plague to the church and its mission. There is hope that the true gospel spoken by Jesus Christ and the apostles will be ressurected as the Christians begin to use discernment and search the Scriptures. There is hope that the gospel message that emphasizes the mission of making disciples for Christ will be renewed and revitalized in contrast to the prevailing apathetic misinformed "churchianity" message that many are comfortable with.

I titled this blog- A Theology That Works- for a dual purpose. If one is to consider the works versus grace contraversy that has continued in Christianity and is clear in the book of James, we come to the Biblical conclusion that

"In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead (James 2:17)".

Therefore, we conclude that our lives must be marked by action. But what produces the action? Our Faith! Theology is our understanding of God, so we recognize that the natural outpouring and fruit of our faith should be action. Do you feel that tug of action? What exactly is your understanding of God (theology) urging you to do?

The purpose of this blog series- Missional: Attacking the Static- was to get us to take an honest inventory of the Church, our participation as members of the Body, and now I am clearly up some of the issues so prevalent (all of which have been expounded upon in books, through quotes, and personal discernment):

apathy, passivity, Pharasaic separatism, comfortability, and inconsistent discipleship.

What I pose through this blog is an emerging profitable Christianity that starts with our theology which will produce action, as I like to term is "zeal empowered by knowledge".

As I said before, there is hope, and that hope is through a through us, the body of Christ, the Christians doing what we are commanded by studying the Scriptures, using discernment and searching the Scriptures, and allowing a natural outpouring through our lives of the things we begin to know and how we look at the world (a true Christian worldview). Their are some amazing things that are emerging thanks to the current times and the good ole information age. The challenge is on the table though, it is not an easy task for an apathetic passive comfortable Church to begin to be consistent in our dealings with the world, to offer a true good news that is rational and reasonable, and to truly engage.

Come, let's reason together....Can you consistently discuss and if need be defend/debate your faith? Are you presenting a message of good news to the world that is actually accepted as good news?

Read Ephesians chapter 2-3 (notice "you will be able to understand", "make plain to everyone the administation of this mystery). Does your gospel presentation sound like that?

These are contentions I have had for a while living as a fully engaged Christian who looks at the world as a mission field. Through my studies of the gospel we present to the world I have continually realized that we fail to speak about the kingdom of God. My continual contentions were that we are not seeing the miracles, signs, and wonders that Jesus and the Apostles did (or the 3000 people coming to the faith) because we were not being true to form. Jesus came on the scene of ministry and declared:

"Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the good news of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God has drawn near; repent, and believe the good news. (Mark 1:14-15)"

"From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has drawn near (Matthew 4:17)".

AND THE APOSTLES:

"They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even large numbers to the place where he was staying. From morning till evening he explained and declared to them the kingdom of God and tried to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets (Acts 28:23)".

"For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 28:30-31)".

My continual focus of seeking to understand and declare this message to the world has led me even further in realizing the failure of being consistent to the message. If you look to the end of Revelation, it is then that the kingdom of God is given to men- what kingdom is this? Is it a physical kingdom that will one day be on earth? Is it a restored world? If you read Revelations chapters 21-22, along with the Old Testament prophecies of the hope of this kingdom you realize the popular view is hardly consistent with the text. What did Jesus say to Nicodemus about the kingdom?


"I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again (John 3:3)"

Unfortunately, as you study church history you will see the confusion and debate concerning the realized kingdom of God, the mix of Gnostic teachings, and much to our detriment today- new teachings upon new teachings to explain misunderstands by what Christ meant. If you study doctrines you will see that due to much of the confusion the popular gospel message today has many gnostic tendencies:

"Gnosticsism is a radically dualistic view of reality where physical reality is completely separate from spiritual reality...They claimed "salvation" involves escaping from the physical world, which is the source of corruption, into the spiritual realm, which is pure and eternal...deny the goodness of God's physical creation and teach that God must replace it with a new universe in the future...one of the many things that the Christian docrtine of the incarnation shows us is the perfection of Jesus Christ is possible in God's physical world. Many other holy and righteous men in Biblical history also demonstrate to us that man's problem has nothing to do with the created order; the problem is sin which resides in the human heart. The curse related to sin is not inherent in the elements of the physical world; the curse has to do with human beings and their covenant relationship to God. That is why believers can be saved, right here and now, in this world. The problem mankind has is sin, and God can take care of that for those who believe. He doesn't have to throw away the physical universe in order to do that (Paraphrased from the book: Beyond Creation Science)".

Biblical truth sounds a bit different than the spiritual hogwash being spouted at many sunday services today, doesnt it? You know... the whole recieve Jesus in your heart today that way you have the hope to be wisked away with him into heaven when you die, but you will have to follow some rules and live a good life separate from the bad people and come here to sing alot of songs, etc, etc.. And that's the good news we present to the world? Sounds a bit like Gnosticism.

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking"- Steve Jobs

I love that quote above. Sadly, many in the Christian Church today are living by dogma, doctrines, and a spinkle of Scriptural truth. The aspect of thinking out-side-the box or really thinking through things with discernment (intellectualism) is considered a fault in the eyes of many- because many equate faith with a lack of rational thought. As I have posed through this blog, looking at the socio-religious climate- THIS IS A MAIN TENENT OF THE PROBLEM WE HAVE IN BEING A STATIC INSTITUTION!!

"Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritains worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. God is Spirit, and His worshippers must worship in Spirit and in truth (John 4:21-24)"

Jesus was speaking to a woman outside the covenant of Israel. He was telling her of a time when truth would be revealed to all those who seek to know God through Christ, the Messiah. Notice that it would be spirit and truth that the Father wants those to worship Him through, we must not ever compromise these aspects! That my friends is the solution.

Becoming missional in our efforts to attack the static of the institutional church through faith and works is the solution and the greater things that we would do through Christ (John 14:12)- living in love, fulfilling the Law (Romans 13:10; Galatians 5:14; etc..).

Unfortunately, the separatist/ retreat from the world aspect that makes Christians feel good about them being the "righteous" is the hypocritical doctrine that blocks us from living in love and living missionally. Besides..it's easier to just separate and know our differences. That's exactly NOT how it is done, the incarnation of Jesus Christ is a prime example.

There is a difference between true Christianity that is reforming and emerging in small unions in radical Christ-ways from organized churchianity. We have seen the need to reform and critique many times and for many reasons in Christian history, and I would imagine the list I can compile is a very minimal list compared to the needs that must change as we emerge and engage the world as the true Christ-followers that we are.

"Where the church is faithful to its Lord, there the powers of the Kingdom are present and people begin to ask questions to which the Gospel is the answer"

Some of us from The Fellowship C.H.U.R.C.H. have taken up the opportunity to gather and learn with the local Unitarian Univeralists on Sunday mornings. Originally. we started out just going and listening and seeking to demonstrate the gospel in word and deed. The more time we spend there and befriend more and more people, we are realizing the commonalities we all share, the value of friendship ("love beyond belief"), and the process of enjoying the journey of learning, loving, and living. Recently, the minister has been sharing with us about the convictions of the UU congregation and summation of his "What Do We Believe" sermon was:

"The most important point of faith which I have not yet mentioned is, faith is for a purpose. It's to motivate you to care for yourself, so that you may help others, and to exhibit concern for the world of we're apart of"

As Christians, we are not just simply universalists with a concept of “love beyond belief” nor do we hold an atheistic do-good view rather we have a proclamation of truth changes all things. Read Hebrews chapter 11 to learn of what part faith has had in the lives of the heroes of our faith. Yet we fail.

It is time, especially in a religious, social, politcal, and economical culture we face today to be offering a consistent, clear, and not so absurd good news to the world. This will enable our efforts to smash false paradigms and views that are set up contrary to the true gospel and the reality of it. We have the unction to demolish strongholds and therefore make all thought captive to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). We have the call to be rational, reasonable, and offer the answers to the world around us through the gospel of Christ (1 Peter 3:15)- this is truly the healing of the nations (Revelation 22:3).

The depressing news is that many are misinformed because of the serious lack of studying the Scriptures, knowing church and secular history, and instead of defending the faith and searching the Scriptures many have trusted in doctrines of men and sough the the easy way out. Popular teachings stand in stark contrast to the concept of iron sharpens iron, and especially the challenge of Proverbs 18:17: "The first to present his case seems right, till another comes forward and questions him". Instead of searching out the matter, and diligently searching the Scrictures the popular teaching, even said by pastors is the inconsistent aspect of sitting under a man or school to learn truth (oddly enough, in time this is and can be disputed as reguritating the doctrines of a man, or as you learn more as desire to search things out you may recieve the rebuke of taking information from too many sources -sorry bit of a side not there :))

Sadly, as you may have noticed at the beginning of this blog the issue of defending and teaching the truth gets personal for me. As a committed missional Christian, committed to study of the Word and searching the Scriptures- I am at odds with popular doctrine. Emerging missional theology is not a stated way of doing things it simply means to emerge (defined as moving out of the way or away from something and come into view) and become missional as you learn more and more about God. I pray that this blog series has been edifying to you and that through the Spirit of God you will continue to diligently study the Scriptures and share the gospel through your learnings!

"The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!". And let him who hears say, "Come!". Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life (Revelation 22:17).
and I guess this is where I extend my invite of "Come!", lets hang and let me buy you a coffee.

A brother, friend, servant of the Lord,
Pastor Michael Miano

*And yes I really am inviting you to fellowship with me over a cup of coffee, tea, or maybe a frappachino, ha ha ha...give me a call or text 239-603-5695

Missional: Attacking the Static - Part 2

Part 2- RESTORING THE MISSION

"There exists in every church something that sooner of later works against the very purpose for which it came into existence. So we must strive very hard, by the grace of God to keep the church focused on the mission that Christ originally gave to it"- C.S. Lewis

The quote above demonstrates the need for what Alan Hirsch called Mdna. Mdna is the transmission of inherited traits that characterize the mission that should be inherent in every church body. Every follower of Christ infused with the Word of God, the Holy Spirit, and a bit of "holy rebellion" should be ever-reforming the Church back toward the mission- spreading the gospel of the kingdom of God ( which we discussed in part 1 how important it is to have a gospel -a message of good news, that is consistent and empowers Believers). As disciples engaged to the mission by the will and grace of God, we will be making disciples! Be disciples who make disciples!

One of the most energizing books I have read about being mission is REJesus: A Radical Messiah for a Missional Church, in which it is clearly demonstrated that we must be taken captive by the true Jesus Christ and His mission, -not create a image of Him in our minds and thus make him captive to our particular agenda. Many Christians have and still do this without realizing because- yes! your mission and agenda may have good intentions and be a great cause, but it might just be your cause, not necessarily what Christ is seeking to do and initiate.

What we do know through Scripture about the mission of God is clearly shown through John 1:1-18. Read it! That is the incarnation- which is basic terms is the story of how God took on flesh and became a man in order to show us His nature (gave us an inspiring model) and to fulfill His purpose- redemption of mankind! God's ways are amazing and many times incomprehendable, yet He continually reveals things to us. So, we know that God sent His Son (which was God made manifest through the seed of a woman) to die in our place and thus fulfill the covenant of love- that whosoever should believe on His name should be saved, a child of God, and have eternal life (John 3:16). That was the beginning of what was to come! Now, if you read further along, namely chapters 17-20, you begin to realize that Jesus Christ is sending out messengers of this message- "Just as you sent me, I am sending them". Now the disciples had the same mission, to be incarnational, as Paul said he was all things to all men so that he may win a few (1 Corinthians 9:22-23). Upon fulfillment of the New Covenant, we know that there are those who are inside the gates of the kingdom of heaven (the spiritual understanding of the Lordship of Jesus Christ = abundant life) and those missing out, who sit outside- and it is our goal, those exercised by the Spiritual knowledge of God, to use the leaves of the tree of life (the gospel of the Kingdom) to heal the nations.

Learning from the disciples and specifically the Apostle Paul we acknowledge that "to act incarnationally therefore will mean that in our mission to those outside of the faith we will need to exercise a genuine identification and affinity with those we are attempting to reach". ...."There is a time for "in-your-face" approaches to mission, but there is also a time to simply become part of the very fabric of a community and to engage in the humanity of it all"

The point of the incarnation was that "when confronted with the reality of God in Jesus, God in human flesh, God is no longer beyond and unfathomable, but immediate and present. He has come close to us, and his claim on our lives becomes somewhat more unavoidable". Through incarnational ministry we demonstrate the same passionate love our God had for us by coming and relating to us, being tempted, suffering, and being killed by and for us- this is truly putting flesh on it! (or as Francis Chan might say "Crazy Love").

The point is that ministry and relating to people is not a church program that we should have to talk about. As I explained in part 1, it is necessary that we begin to have an understanding of God and His mission that enables all of this to be natural. Religious "christianity" has allowed for a separatist mentality where it's us and them ( the good "christian" people who have to preach to and shun the morally bad people)-THIS IS NOT CHRISTIANITY. Jesus Christ actually did the exact opposite and hung around the "bad people", and they wanted to be in His presence, and ultimately it was those who chose to become disciples rather than the religious people. Unfortunately, we have the opposite extreme becoming a prevailing attitude in Christianity today. Instead of engaging the world with the message of Christ, many have chosen to just blend in and "be cool" which is called backsliding, not ministry. In his book, The Next Christians, Gabe Lyons does a great deal in explaining these things. It's the restorers, those who are rooted in the truth (there is that zeal empowered by knowledge thing again) who live out the mission for Christ! It is the restorers whose ".. faith activity isn't restricted to "religious" activities, but carries over into every day life".

The incarnation of Jesus Christ did not occur in order to create a religion or a set of moral rules by which the "good people" who say they believe in Jesus should live by. That's nonsense! (and by saying that I mean it makes no darn sense)- the Pharisee's were doing quite fine with moral laws and touch not, taste not rules! The incarnation was about bringing the redemption back to mankind- the image of God (which means the idea and concept for which He had created mankind). Each and every disciple that learns the knowledge of God embraces and becomes the image of God and therefore becomes an ambassador of the kingdom. It is in the gates that we recognize what true life is and have joy in it! That's the mission! God literally got involved in the mission to make it that clear on how important it is to spread and live it out, hello!!! HE DID!!!

Ivan Illach, the Austrian philosopher and Catholic priest said the most radical way to change a society is to tell an alternative story ( I do well to mention my blog by this title in which I speak about the kingdom of God- how ironic it is exactly what Christ came preaching!). The gospel of Jesus Christ is exactly that- the alternative to everything this world hopes for, lives for, and thinks is possible. It is this gospel that we must:

"resdiscover...recalibrate...rethink...reimagine...redeploying...revitalize.." in order to be missional!

"Telling others about Jesus is important, but conversion isn't their only motive. Their mission is to infuse the world with beauty, grace, justice, and love. I call them restorers because they envision the world as it was meant to be and they work toward that vision. Restorers seek to mend earth's brokenness..sowing seeds of restoration...they don't seperate from the world or blend in: rather, they thoughtfully engage". -Gabe Lyons

ARE YOU A DISCIPLE OF CHRIST CALLED TO BE A RESTORER?

Missional: Attacking the Static (PART 1)

Part 1 :::::: "A TRUE BACK-TO-THE-BIBLE MOVEMENT"

The title of this blog is the point of this blog- the body of Christ (the Church) is called to be missional which is the natural outward impulse of God's chosen- the Church (otherwise known as the body of Christ or simply Christians). The natural impulse of understanding of who God is, what God has done, and what He is doing enabled the Church as well as each and every Christian to attack the static. The static being the lack of energy, passion, and movement seen in the 1st century Church largely due to a failure of Biblical theology and a reality of Jesus Christ.

The good news as noted by Gabe Lyons in his book, The Next Christians, is that "there is a movement among Christians......asking these same questions and offering meaningful answers. They want to be a force for restoration in a broken world even as we proclaim the Christian gospel. They want the label Christian to mean something good, intelligent, authentic, true, and beautiful". Gabe Lyons, as well as many other authors and leaders (Mark Batterson, Alan Hirsch, among many others) see what is on the horizon for Christianity whether we call it a reformation, revival, or an emergence! Gabe Lyons even quoted the late Billy Graham, who noticed the same things- Graham is noted as saying "Back when we did these big crusades in football stadiums and arenas, the Holy Spirit was really moving- and people were coming to Christ as we preached the Word of God, but today, I sense something different is happening. I see evidence that the Holy Spirit is working in a new way. He's moving through people where they work and through one-on-one relationships to accomplish great things. They are demonstrating God's love to those around them, not just with words, but in deed".

If one is to look through history at all the movements that changed the face of Christianity it was always a "back-to-the-Bible-movement", because that's where the solution lies. And that is where the solution to the "missional crisis" is at today in the Church and in the theological application in the lives of Believers. The lack of knowledge always creates either an apathetic spirit or a false passion based on assumptions and presuppositions (in Scripture this is called "zeal without knowledge"). Therefore, the missional movement will be based upon a zeal empowered by knowledge that is revealed through the Word of God- a true back to the Bible movement.

The local church I pastor, The Fellowship C.H.U.R.C.H., offers practical conversational theology that allows the true zeal of missional living to become practical and realized in our lives. We pride ourselves on the fact that as we seek to understand God more and more (grow in the knowledge of God) that we are becoming the true expression of Christianity, and I always say that if Christianity was to become illegal in Fort Myers, they will come for The Fellowship C.H.U.R.C.H. first!

"If passion is eliminated, faith no longer exists"- Soren Kierkegaard
Gabe Lyons made another great point (actually quite a few I will quote throughout this blog) when he spoke about "the problem with half stories" and he called it a "truncated gospel". I would definitely imagine that Gabe Lyons and I have some disagreements on the full extend of the good news brought by Christ but he makes great strides speaking on how the popular notions of the gospel only dwell on the fall and redemption, but ignore the implications of creation and restoration, and ultimately consummation. The lack of a cohesive message destroys the good news, and for many the failure to be intellectually honest with the story has caused this missional crisis which in essence is a full failure in regards to the message of Jesus Christ.

The popular song "Jesus is coming, people get ready" illustrates this point well. As a Christian who takes Jesus Christ at every word He spoke to the disciples, I recognize the fulfillment of everything he said. Jesus was not talking some far off message- He was directly speaking to the people in front of Him, who understood what the good news was- the kingdom of God. (I will not expound on the full truth and understanding espoused through Full Preterist theology but I advise the reader- read my blogs and read more Scripture in context!). The fact of the matter is- we are now living in the reality of the kingdom of God, Satan and his minions are a defeated foe (although we still suffer from the effects of evil), and therefore Revelation chapter 22: 1-5 is where we are at. WE HAVE ACCESS TO THE TREE OF LIFE (WHICH IS FOR THE HEALING OF ALL NATIONS), WE ARE IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD, AND GOD REIGNS! WE ARE NOT WAITING FOR ANYTHING! STOP WAITING!!!!

That's the point of being missional- we must stop waiting. Proper theology is needed to enable the body of Christ to a zeal empowered by knowledge. We have the healing of the nations- the gospel which restores everything to the original intent in the image (idea and concept) of God!

"The next generation of Christians believe that Christ's death and Resurrection were not only meant to save people from something. He wanted to save Christians to something. God longs to restore His image in them, and let them loose, freeing them to pursue His original dreams for the entire world". -Gabe Lyons

As I take a step back and look at the body of Christ (THE CHURCH), specifically here in North America I see a missional crisis due to static. Yet, possessing a zeal empowered by knowledge I feel and see a holy rebellion "based on loving critique of religious institutions modeled by the original apostles and the prophets" on the horizon. In history it was men like Martin Luther who stood up for the Scriptures against tradition, John Wycliffe who did the same, William Tyndale who died to get the Scriptures into even the poorest mans' hands, John Wesley who was committed to "no less than the recovery of the truth, life, and power of earliest Christianity and the expansion of that kind of Christianity", and Dietrich Bonhoeffer who lived out the responsibility of understanding the message. Today, I take the stand- DO YOU?


"There exists in every church something that sooner of later works against the very purpose for which it came into existence. So we must strive very hard, by the grace of God to keep the church focused on the mission that Christ originally gave to it"- C.S. Lewis

It's all about the glory of God and seeing all things restored to His image. We must remember Martin Luther King Jr.'s words "that which we would first change, we must love first".

A Day in the Life

Ok, so let's look at a day in your life. We are all going to die, right? Well than you might as live it up by your own standards and do as you do. How is that working for you? Let's face is your not completely satisfied, so now you decide to start fixing up the mess you created, how do you do this? Well, besides the basics like job, car, making things right at home, maybe, just maybe some of that "spiritual stuff" them Christians (not the Muslims there kind of bugged out), but that Christian things sounds like it might be a good way to get on the right track, hey it might just be right, after all who doesn't want to go to heaven? Man, this whole being good for God thing isn't all that easy, you start feeling bad constantly, you always need to repent and try better. Let's face it , that constant trying not to sin, and trying again not to sin thing isn't exactly working- your a sinner (Romans chapter 3; James 1:13-14; 1 John 2:15-17)). But you look around, all these so-called Christians don't have it all together, maybe the pastor, but atleast your trying your best and God sees that and you have the hope that you will die and since you confessed Jesus name, you will die and be in heaven. WELL, GUESS WHAT?? That is everything but salvation. First, that is zeal without knowledge, salvation and faith are based upon the knowledge of God, therefore understanding why and what you are convinced of is important. 2nd, your apathy of just trying your best and getting by- looks horrible as a witness for Christ and is not pleasing in the eyes of God (ahh..the lukewarm message!).

Imagine this with me. Jesus Christ came to destroy the works on the devil (1 John 3:5-8; John 12:31; Matthew 12:22-30; Colossians 2:13-15; Hebrews 2:14; Revelation 20 cf. Revelation 22:15; Romans 16:20). This leads to a process in theology called "Soteriology", which means study of salvation. Jesus Christ initiated and fulfilled the process of redemption and salvation (also justification and glorification) for mankind. God creates covenants, we read about these in Scipture (covenants with Abraham, Jacob, Moses, the nation of Israel, and finally through all of those- those who rest in the assurance and faith of Jesus Christ). - that is the whole story in a nutshell.

Understanding this and living with this understanding leads to a life without sin and death (Hebrews 9:26-28; Romans 6:4-7, 23; Romans 8:1-2;1 Corinthians 15:20-28 cf. 2 Timothy 1:8-10; Romans 7:7-11; Romans 5:12-14; Romans 4:13-15; James 2:10), a life that has been transformed by the presence of God and will never end (John 8:49-59; John 11:25-26; Titus 1:2; Jude 1:21; John 3:16 ), and the power of being a child of God with a power that is unmatchable (Ephesians chapters 1-2).

Do you see why that zeal without knowledge just flat out sucks? God loves us and fulfilled this plan for us to grow into it with all our mind, hearts, soul and strength.

Fact of the matter is that Jesus Christ did not fail in what He had come to do. To destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:5-8). The Bible is the story of how man allowed Satan to get in the way of a perfect relationship with God (which causes man to die, spiritually- Genesis216-17 cf. Isaiah 59:1-2 ) and then God being a loving an amazing God through His ultimate wisdom and glory restored that relationship by fulfilling His promises and defeating death- this is called the Kingdom of God ( Revelation 21:1-5; Mark 1: 14-15, 25; Luke 15:21-24), which is what leads us to salvation. Did you catch that?

When you begin to understand and realize the true message and good news of Jesus Christ, you glorify God. John Piper said, "God is most satisfied when we are most satisfied in Him". Through the Word of God, we begin to have a renewing of the mind (Romans 12:2). This renewed mind allows for us to engage the world in a whole new way, we are ambassadors and proclaimers of a whole new way- as Shane Claiborne and those within his community would say- "Another world is possible!". As Christians we don't live in a battle between sin and death, life and joy- the battle has been won, our Lord is King! We have the freedom through the knowledge of God to make all thoughts captive to Christ ( 2 Corinthians 10:5).

As an ambassador of the kingdom of God thats the offer I extend to you. Within the kingdom of God we have a glorious message of how amazing and glorious God is, this message is the healing of all nations (Revelation 22: 2) and the water of life to all who are thirsty (Revelation 22: 17).

What do you think?

Live-Love-Laugh, all for the glory of God,
Michael Miano

*Do you fully understand God's plan of redemption? Ever wonder why, either as a Christian or an unbeliever- you struggle with the concepts of battling sin? Contact me and we can go through it. In the meantime- Search the Scriptures!

Salvation understood (study some verses)-
Hebrews 10:35-39; Romans 13:11-12; Revelation 12:10; I Thessalonians 5:8;
Luke 21:28; Ephesians 1:14; 4:30; Romans chapter 8; Hebrews 9:23-28; Romans 13:11-12; Hebrews 11
Isaiah 11:6-9 cf. Ephesians 2:17-18
Isaiah 65-66 cf. John 11:25-26
2 Corinthians 5:1-4 (better yet, read all of 2 Corinthians)

ASK QUESTIONS, DEMAND ANSWERS!!

The Aftermath of Acts (and notes from Driscoll's book- Radical Reformission)

"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me- the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace (Acts 20:24)" We as 21st Century Christians owe a lot of tribute to the early apostles, specifically the apostle Paul for the work he did in spreading the gospel to all the nations ( ultimately, fulfilling the Great Commission) which by 62 A.D. was fulfilled (Romans 16:25-26; Romans 1:5,8; Colossians 1:5-6,23). Today, there is a lot of confusion as to how the Great Commission applies to our context (which I will hopefully clear up in this blog), but true understanding of the proper context brings a greater understanding as to the Christian's purpose in the world today. Understanding applications in context is properly done by utilizing the concept of audience-original relevancy (what a message means to the people it is given to) and the aspects of covenantal understanding (how God works in agreements with specific people) helps clarify the gospel and gives true zeal. “...I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge (Romans 10:2)". God originally chose the ancient Israelites to make covenant with, this meant that He would exhibit his glory through them (which would turn out to be many blessings and curses, don't all good things come with some responsibility? -the Law). The ultimate goal of this covenant with these chosen people was to namely shown the glory of God through them by obedience to the Law of Moses( which temporarily closed the gap between mankind and God due to sin- Galatians chapter 3) which in time would lead to 'calling all the nations' (Isaiah 42, 49- and pretty much all prophetic language in Old Testament relates to how the calling of Abraham to be a blessing to all nations would amount to the Gentiles coming to faith through the Messiah through Israel- Luke chapter 2). The Messiah would usher in the kingdom of the God, which we as Christians know to be the life and purpose of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ came proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom of God- which at that time was at hand- until all things be fulfilled (Luke chapter 21, specifically verse 31). Jesus Christ, the Savior, would bridge the gap that was created by sin and thus through fulfilling the Law, all nations would be able to approach God, and have His presence among them (Revelation 21-22). The Great Commission- as we see at work in the book of Acts- was the proclamation of the good news of the kingdom of God- which was to soon be among all people- through the realization and faith (understanding) of salvation in Jesus Christ (Matthew 18:3; I Corinthians 15). Understandably, today there are many different views of the end times, but it is this writer's opinion through study and observation, that the end times in the Bible- were the end times of the Old Covenant- and therefore, the kingdom of God would be ushered in to this world as the end time prophecies were fulfilled (Matthew 24, Luke 21, and Mark 13). God has continually dealt with mankind through covenants and we constantly see this concept used in Scripture. Understanding the covenant relationships and that they were and are based upon is vital to understanding how God was and is dealing with people today. Beginning with Adam and Eve, God began his covenant-relationship with them in the Garden (Genesis chapter 2-3). The disobedience of Adam led to the curse of mankind which was the separation between mankind and God. Through His loving grace, God established a covenant with His chosen people Israel, a covenant that would welcome them back into communion with Him through obedience to the Law of Moses and this would enable them to be His Holy nation, the people He would bless and curse by their faith and obedience. Ultimately, this covenant was designed to meet the bigger plan of God which was to bring all nations back into communion with Him. Therefore, God created this holy nation called Israel to be an example to other nations, and to also birth the Messiah through the lineage of Abraham, under the law of Moses- providing structure of faith and obedience. The Messiah would bring in the New Covenant which would fulfill the obligations of the Law of Moses through the blood of Jesus Christ- that way the old way of ritual and strict obedience that the Israelites had to follow was replaced with LOVE. This love would now welcome all people by grace, love, and faith to be welcomed back into communion with God through salvation in Jesus Christ. Throughout the book of Acts we see the apostles of Christ caught up in the excitement of God's grace and that now God was bringing all nations (even the Gentiles) back into relationship with Him- the kingdom of God. Understanding the practical excitement of the apostles being commissioned to tell those outside of the people of Israel that they are welcomed in through God's grace is important because it helps understand even the aspect of Bible study. This was an end of the Israelite world and a new thing was taking place, a new time, and the product that was being offered was the New Covenant (Hebrews 8:7-13; Hebrews 10:15-18; Acts 11:19-21 and so on...). Now for the topic of the hour. What does that mean for us today? Are we proclaiming the same message as the apostle Paul? Same reasons? Same outcomes? Same expectations? Well considering that Paul and the other apostles were looking forward to the destruction of Jerusalem, namely the temple- which would bring about the new heavens and the new earth- it is clear that since then things are a bit different. We are in the post-new covenant era now, which means that all aspects that the apostles and Gentiles of the early church were waiting for have been fulfilled- in 70 A.D. I am more and more convinced that we have gotten deceived after Constantine and lost the true outward expression of the gospel of the kingdom of God- and settled for mere "Spiritual talk"- rather than being burdened and inspired to make the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven, a reality. Today, the gospel of the kingdom of God is not at hand, it is among us. Accepting the fact that we are currently in the new heavens and the new earth is an issue for many people, because it is so much easier to look forward to something rather than actually have to work toward it, in there here and now. Well guess what, its reality and truly coming to terms with it, is freedom-giving and compelling (both of which are much needed in the Church today). Ok, so let's look at Revelation 21-22, to get a better picture of what the Church should be offering and "our message" today. In chapter 21, we get a spiritual look at the kingdom of God coming down to be among us- whereas God will be among us and live with us. We will be His people, He our God- and all tears and sorrows- of the old order will pass away. The Old Covenant was a ministration of death (2 Corinthians 3:7-15), therefore the passing of this old order would relieve the people of God from the burden of law and sin (Galatians chapter 4). Glory to God- He has made all things new. So, at this point "it is done", prophetically speaking all things have come to fulfillment and now it is all about the over comers. The kingdom of God is spiritual, and therefore nothing vile (remember we are all vile sinners- therefore it is the yoke of Christ that allows us to approach the presence of Christ- and all glory to God that we have the opportunity without ritual or sacrifice). As we live in this kingdom- we know and "see" the we no longer live under the curse of sin (Revelation 22:3), glory of God Almighty and the Lamb being the temple (Revelation 21: 22-27), the river of Life (Revelation 22:1-2), the kingship of Jesus and being recognized by His name (Revelation 22:3-4), living in the light (Revelation 22:5), and finally washing our robes so that we may approach the tree of life (which leaves bring healing to all nations) and the opportunity granted to us to enter the gates of the city (Revelation 22:14-15). Let us proclaim this message continually and eternally, and invite others into the Kingdom of God- in this many we glorify God! Don't you see how this should excite us? We have truly been set free and blessed by His presence and the fulfillment of prophecy- and this is exactly what excited the apostles all throughout the book of Acts. (We must realize that application in context makes so much sense- they were the generation that experienced the fulfillment, we glean the results). Understanding the full realization of the gospel (the good news) of the kingdom of God among us creates a demand for a radical response- what I like to call THE TROUBLEMAKER AFFECT. We have been set free from religion (the old covenant) to live in love, to imagine the um-imaginable, to view another world being possible (the kingdom of God) and to enact it by any means necessary. We have a message, the message from God that brings healing to all nations, revives the Spirit and soul, glorifies God, and leads us to realize our fullest potential. This is truly zeal with knowledge. Mark Driscoll wrote a book called Radical Reformission, which helps us become "culturally liberal yet theologically conservative", after all the subtitle of his book is "Reaching Out Without Selling-Out". Therefore, after reading through the book, I would like to share some thoughts and even answer some of his reformission questions (I would invite all to check out the book). John 4:1-42, speaks about Jesus and the Samaritan woman. Mark Driscoll utilizes this Biblical passage to help us highlight who are "the Samaritans" in our location and culture. Looking at our culture today, and the unfortunate Christian sub-culture we have created, there is a wide gap. In some future posts I will talk more about this and the new book I am looking to read- The Next Christians by Gabe Lyons, which details what we need to be. We have created a culture that pretty much puts anyone who does not agree with our specific set church doctrine or anyone who does not attend church regularly- namely that specific church we might attend, as Samaritans. Rather than understanding the Christian community as a fluid movement of passionate Christ-followers, we have settled and compromised (much due to a lack of passion) for a semblance of Church which extends to a watered down "religious" message. My opinion is grasping emergent and missional concepts will help us begin to bridge the gap between the people of God and those outside the kingdom gates. The second chapter of Driscoll's book deals with the gospel. I love how he invites us to creatively understand and apply to gospel in context- which is hardly done today- due to a lack of application and contextual understanding. Some invites are: if you were to write a gospel for people in your cultural where would you start, how would you explain sin, how would you explain Jesus, what parts of Jesus' message would you place extra emphasis on (I will save that for another blog- this should be fun). "...as the gospel moves into new cultures in our day, and as new cultures emerge, we must struggle to sift out what is cultural and what is Scriptural". I loved Mark's 3rd chapter which talked about Shotgun Weddings to Jesus, which I thought was a great way to explain common day gospel sharing (alter calls and evangelism) as well as discipleship. We obviously need to properly understand the call of Christ, count the cost, and allow the renewing gospel to take root in our lives (isn't it funny that radical is derived from the word rooted?). A proper understanding of sin is vital in exhibiting the gospel and walking in the day (Romans chapter 13). Driscoll deals well with understanding culture, and applying the gospel- as we get into chapter 5, we begin to get missional in our approach. Mark makes good points for us to go out of our routine to start learning about the culture, read things we wouldn't normally read, and talk to people we wouldn't normally talk to- truly start to understand the culture- that way we can effectively make disciples (after all isn't that what this is all about??). Finally at the end of the book, Mark Driscoll begins to provide more balance, through which we can examine ourselves- are we Pharisaic, Essenic, or way too immersed in culture? Understanding ourselves in light of modern or postmodern attitude- areas that clearly need balance.

Well, this blog turned out a bit longer than I wanted. I hope that if you have held on this long and read through it, that you have been inspired and burdened by the gospel and the responsibility to live through Acts! We must begin to be missional with our message, emergent without understanding, and contextual with our applications!

Live in love, by, in, and through Jesus Christ, Mike Miano

*Check out my latest video presentation of the gospel!

I Am Free to Love!

Well friends, today or rather yesterday I completed my 30 days of reading through the Bible (this was suppose to be in a Ramadan fashion, but safe to admit I didn't fast properly and didn't get to attend any iftar's with Muslims, bot exactly happy about that, but life goes on).
Anyways, reading through the Word of God is always a journey and new truths speak out every time, this time even more than any other time. Honestly, these lats couple weeks I feel like I have been getting a handle on this whole "Good News" thing. Truthfully, when I ask many (not all) other Christians what the "good news" is that we call "gospel", I don't understand what they see as good news, and I don't think they see it either.
So, really what is the "good news" that Christ came to tell us?
Well let's look back. We know that God instituted the Old Covenant with the Israelite people in order to draw a people unto Himself, who would give Him glory and could have a sample of His presence by following the Law. Only through sacrifice and obedience could God be sought out. Just think of life like that, "touch not, taste not", as we read about the Ark of the Covenant and all these religious themes we can sense the fear the people had of being "cursed by God". The really radical thing that we continually see is that God has always wanted the deeper things such as the heart and love of man rather than simple outward religious faith.
I Samuel 15:22- "Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice and to heed is better than the fat of the rams".
I would rather advise you to read the entire chapter of Psalms 51, but I will quote a part of it to illustrate my point. "O Lord open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it, you do not pleasure in burnt offerings, the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart (Psalms 51:15-17a)". For more verses read Hosea and Micah.
Do you see it? God does not want the outward stuff, but rather what comes from inside our hearts, and we see Jesus compellingly criticizing the Pharisees of His day concerning these matters. But the Law of the Old Covenant made the outward things necessary!

So then comes this Messiah, the anointed one, who will essentially make "all things new", thus the term "New Covenant". The kingdom (presence) of God and righteousness will no longer need to be a thing sought by men by standards and Law, but rather will "dwell among them". This was a big deal to the 1st Century peoples, especially the religious people. The law of God, or rather the Law of Christ would be written on the hearts of men (Jeremiah 31:33-34, Hebrews 8:6-13 and 10:14-18). What is this law? The law of Christ (1 Corinthians 9:21, Galatians 6:2, amongst other verses that illustrate this point).
So as the title of this blog says, "I am free to love!". Come on sing it, you know the song! What exactly does that mean? I am free from having to tell people they are sinners and must live right because by love I can show them the love of Christ and be a light in the midst of darkness. I am free from having to live a partially sanitized life, but rather can serve God through a life of love and service. I am free to live, to truly be in the world not of it, and I mean really live without stressing "is this a sin", "should i be around these people", "should I be in church right now", etc. That my friends, in the glory of the New Covenant that stressed out the religious people in Jesus' day and continues to do so in religious circles today.
Consider the Galatians factor. The church in Galatia had this exact problem, when the religious Jews began to mix with the Gentiles.This religious spirit is clearly called what it is, hypocrisy, because it is against the freedom to love of the Law of Christ. Read Galatians chapter 2:11-21.
"The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love (Galatians 5:6)".

Consider the fact that under the Old Covenant Law, even the supposedly righteous religious leaders committed sins against the rules, but yet their outward appearance of being holy, gave them a false sense of righteousness ("I'm better than you"), but it was exactly that FALSE! Christ brought the reality of the Law which was recognizing that even though we are sinners, through love (Christ's law) we can seek His kingdom and His righteousness.

Truly understanding this new, alternative, radical, revolutionary change that Jesus Christ brought into affect is what makes a believer "freak out". Jesus Christ presented the Jews of His time and us today with a new opportunity to experience God. Consider the recent religious cliche' of "It's not about religion, but relationship". Very true!

"But thanks be to Gold, who always leads us through triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing (2 Corinthians 2:14-15)".

I urge you my fellow believers, seek to truly live and read the Word of God through New Covenant Eyes (for more info, check out newcovenanteyes.com)

All for the sake of righteousness, peace, and joy,
Mike Miano

The Intension of Mission in New York (and some other thoughts)

The Intension of Mission in New York

This last week, I visited New York. Gabriella and I went to see friends and family, but I wanted to follow Christ for the Spirit of Christmas. I decided I wanted to go to NYC and spend time with the homeless.
“In the poor we find Jesus in His most distressing of disguises” – Mother Teresa
This idea started with the concept of spending three days on the streets of Manhattan. I had many ideas from open air preaching, loving on the homeless, and other books of Acts activities. As the weeks closed in on the time I would be going, plans got changed and I had to go for 2 nights in NYC. Still had all the anticipation in the world!
Finally, the day came. A friend of mine had said he wanted to join me, and I took this as a perfect opportunity to share the gospel and work toward discipleship. So, that day he decided not to wake up until 4pm. At the train station we met with some Christians evangelists who offered prayer and the million dollar bill tracts. So all in all, we ended up getting out there by 7pm.
As we set foot in NYC, I felt a sense of discouragement. I struggled against it and said I have committed myself to mission. We met a man who was raising money for a homeless charity, he himself was homeless. We talked with him for a while, shared testimonies (He had more faith than many Christians I know). Then, I met a man at McDonalds. He was very much in a hurry and just wanted $5 to get something to eat, so I gave him the money, asked his name, and prayed for him. (His name was really long and hard to pronounce- I know him as the guy who kind of looked like Borat).
As the time went on, I just didn’t feel the push like I originally had. I remember walking quietly behind my group of friends, and praying “But God I checked my motives, my attitude, and the concept makes perfect sense, where is the “Holy Spirit shove”?
We stayed in NYC until 3am that night, yes it was freezing, very bearable though.
That night I prayed and cried to God, why didn’t this go as planned? That was it!
“In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps (Proverbs 16:9)”.
Quite humbling. Just when I think I have been humbled enough by the Lord, He continues to showing me it is Him who is Lord. Thanks be to God!
My Personal Survey of the Homeless People in NYC
To be quite honest, the homeless seem to be going at things pretty well. Most the homeless people in New York City are working as boosters or asking for change, quite boldly might I add. This trip I didn’t not see not even 1 sign that the homeless are famous for, as compared to the sign I bought right here in Fort Myers, Fl, from a homeless man.
I would extend thanks and support to the churches and outreaches in NYC that seem to be caring well for the homeless and the needs.


A Letter to My Friends and other Long Islanders

This past week I spent time on Long Island. I write this with the intension of sharing my thoughts during this trip.
Before I ventured to NY, I prayed that God would give me the wisdom to act in the ways needed to further the Gospel in the lives of my friends and loved ones. One particular thought that came to mind was that I needed to be relatable. In the words of Scripture, “All this to all men, that way I might save a few (I Corinthians 9:22-23)”. Last visit, I somewhat distanced myself, this visit I would “hang out”.
We had some good times and some rough times. But as I began to drive home, entering into the state of New Jersey, I began to think, “Did I make it serious enough? Today is the day of salvation!”
My heart and insight for Long Island is this:
You all need an elevated mindset. I wish I could take you into the Spiritual realm and show you why certain things you are doing and not doing just don’t make much sense. There is so much more. I can’t help but feel as if many of you are just getting by rather than truly living life. You only have one life to live, and I’m not talking about going “buck wild” but what about the greater things in life. Don’t push off importance until tomorrow.
Jesus Christ said “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life…” There is another way to do life, there is another truth to understand, and more purpose-filled life to be lived.
Really..Look around? Heroin Epidemic, job loss, everyone making babies,….etc,
What do you have to lose?


The Million Dollar Question

The million dollar question is: Where will you go when you die?
Many Christian evangelists use these million dollar bills as gospel tracts and I would like to add some detail. I myself, have taken a vow to no longer just hand out tracts that have the whole you are a sinner, repent, and be saved “gospel” on them. The gospel of Jesus Christ has a lot more to say than just you are a sinner, repent and be saved. Actually, the good news is that even thought you will always be a sinner, there is another way to live. We do need to repent, and live a life through missional transformation. The gospel truly is: there is abundant life in following Christ and being transformed and renewed as you follow Him.
We need to add the abundant life aspect and follow-ship to the gospel when we hand out these tracts or else we are misleading the lost.
I have blogged about this view of the gospel before:
http://newsfromthetribe.blogspot.com/2009/11/what-is-this.html

What is this?

Yes, thats the title, because that is what I am sitting here saying about this whole thing we call "Church". Suprised?
Well, its been a while since I blogged so a little update...I finished reading "An Irresistible Revolution" (yes, the book was awesome, thats a whole other topic in and of itself). I have been listening to alot of Francis Chan sermons, so I have been getting fed some serious Spiritual meat. Also, been delving into mennonite studies and New Monastics. So, its safe to assume, this will be a "radical" blog.
Main thought- WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?
So lately I have been thinking, what really is the good news? Is it the Spiritual "pie in the sky" message many preach, or how about the plain and simple, "social gospel"? It's very clean that we need to be clear on this because Scripture makes it quite clear that there are true and false gospels out there (2 Corinthians 11:4 & Galatians 1:9; and the devil is not a complete idiot to try and pass off something that is totally out there).
Yes, I put my study skills to use. Through studying I realized that the true Gospel of Christ Jesus is very Spiritual and also very practical, but in no way is the gospel tracks of I have seen the gospel of Christ. So I have taken a vow not to hand out these "gospel tracks" anymore. Bye Bye, "This could be your last 5 minutes alive" (that was the title of my latest set of 100 tracks).
As Christians would should be displaying the "kingdom of heaven on earth". Thats what this is all about "the kingdom of God" (refer to my first couple blogs). We yell to the unbelieving masses, "There is another way!!!". Most people are unsatisfied and are living a life totally outside God's best for them. Basically, feeding the pigs (read through Luke 15:11-31).
Th ultimate message of the Gospel of Christ is "come home", be who God created you to be, and live the life God has predestined for you. Why you ask? Because you know that this world has nothing to offer, look around, look within yourself...Let's be real!
Here is a brief essay I wrote the other day titled "A Compromised Mission".
Have we, the Christians compromised the mission? Do we focus on seemingly insignificant things in an effort to avoid having to deal with the real issues (lets say post-modernism)? I.E.- Materialistic culture, apathetic Christianity, lukewarm faith which has led us to a lack of persecution, lack of care and concern for the lost, this new version of "churchianity". Or even worse, do we focus on these things as a cover-up because we like what we have now, rather than going back to the ways of the 1st Century church? Look at the fruit then!!!
I always say "its not necessarily what you do that is sin, but rather what you dont do". Think about the gospel centered life, is it about being a sinless puritan or rather in the gospel a message of a whole different way of life? Doesnt scripture teach us that God will prune us of sin? Was sin a NT church focus? What does the church in China have to say about "our gospel"? What do they focus on? The mission! What if we focus on the mission, and allow God to do the work in us, rather than have a self-centered, create a partal sanitized life gospel?
Dont compromise the mission!!!
What about our faith is worth dying for? What is the "gospel"?
The unbeliever says- "wow this life sucks!"
Christians following Christ should be yelling back- "There is another way, the kingdom of
God stands in opposition to the ways of this world that dont lead to happiness. Where this world leads to death and destruction, the gospel of Christ leads to peace and abundant life!