Engage in Catayst Training

Everywhere we look, it is easy to see brokenness in our world. News stories, personal relationships, and social media all give us insight into the great need for restoration that exists in our world. We are in great need of Shalom – the peace that is only given through Christ, the restoration of things, the evidence of God’s work amongst us.

It is so easy to look at the broken shalom around us. We can easily fixate on the bad, the broken, and pinpoint all the places and people that need “help” or “fixing”. Sometimes we miss seeing Shalom or the ways that God IS working around us.

In Catalyst training, we talk a lot about the lens through which we see our world, and more specifically, how we see our cities and neighborhoods. We ask the question, “What would it look like if, instead of constantly fighting against what is broken, we joined God where he is already working?” What if we learned to see how God is restoring and redeeming things and partnered with Him? What if we open our eyes to the peace and healing that God is already bringing and joined Him in his work?

The truth is, God IS at work around us. God IS bringing restoration and healing. God IS present in our homes, neighborhoods, workplaces, and cities. In the Lord’s Prayer, we pray for this to be be true:

“Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

We pray to see God’s will and his Kingdom active and present here among us. And as people called by Christ to be his hands and feet, his messengers in those places where He has put us, we get to be part of seeing that happen.

A missional lifestyle is one that recognizes where God is at work – in all places, in all people, in all relationships. A missional lifestyle is one that works to join God in those areas, to bring restoration and redemption. As missional people we recognize that God has placed us in our unique locations and in our unique relationships on purpose and we engage in those locations and relationships in ways that share the hope and love of Jesus.

Take some time this week to reflect on these ideas:

  • Will I see my city, through a lens of compassion and grace, as a place that is broken and in need of redemption?
  • Will I recognize that God has placed me in my city, in my specific location for a purpose?
  • Will I open my eyes to see where God is actively and presently working?
  • Will I respond willingly when God asks me to join Him in his redemptive work in the places where He has placed me?

And then, when you gather in community this week, I would encourage you to discuss the following questions:

  • How is God working in your own life?
  • Where do you see evidence of Shalom in the lives of your neighbors?
  • How do you see God’s peace evident in your city right now?
  • Where could you engage alongside God, where he is already working?

As you engage in these questions, YOU become part of our CATALYST 100. Would you be interested in learning more about how to see your city from a missional perspective? Do conversations about how God is actively working and how you can engage in that intrigue you? Do you want to know more about how you can see your city with a heart of grace and compassion? Join one of our lifeGroups working through the Catalyst Curriculum and engage in those conversations with others who are on the journey. Let me know if you have questions or want to get plugged in with a lifeGroup.

About the author