What are you saying? (A discipleship scale with missional message matrix.)
Both the Engel Scale and the Gray Matrix helped us better think about evangelism from the perspective of the lost. They help us understand that the unsaved person comes to faith through an incremental series of steps in either knowledge or attitude. But how do we see ourselves contributing?
We ARE in the world
There is a lot of talk about being missional and incarnational today. The fact is, all Christians are missional and incarnational by virtue of being His and being left in the world. We may be inadvertently and unintentionally sending some ugly messages about God and the Gospel. I think the point is to be intentional about these things.
Here is a proposed discpleship scale and the corresponding missional message matrix that allows us to examine the ourselves and the impact our lives have in presenting and representing the gospel as we live in the world.
Note that there are many layers and complexities to people. In one area of our life, we may be at one side of the scale, and in another area, on the opposite side.
The Relational – Removed Axis
Removed
This side of the “being” scale represents Christians who physically and emotionally remove themselves from others. This loss of intimacy at the human level most often reflects a corresponding loss of intimacy with God.
Spare Time – We are willing to extend to others our spare time, helping them only if it is convenient and fits easily into our schedule.
Exterior Space – We are willing to meet with people, but reserve this mostly for neutral, public spaces. We maintain private spaces where few are ever invited to join us.
No Space – At the extreme, we will not let anyone—or not let certain types of people—into most of our spaces, considering them private and off limits.
No Time – At the extreme, we have no time—or narrowly limited windows of time—to share with others.
Relational
This side of the “being” scale represents Christians who invite people into their lives physically and emotionally, learning to both give and receive.
Interruptible – Our plans lose control over our schedules, and we learn more and more to turn aside to see and meet the needs of others at inconvenient times and places.
Acceptance (w/o requiring change) – We have fewer and fewer conditions to our acceptance of others, and that acceptance increasingly brings them to the inside of our lives, under our skin, into our hearts and homes.
Most Times – We may still have times that are set aside, but these are limited to the necessities of intimacy with God and family and occasional physical needs for rest and renewal. Generally, others have access to us anytime.
Most Spaces – We may still have a few private places, but generally, our friends (both believers and unbelievers) have access to anything and anywhere.
The Acquiring – Serving Axis
Acquiring
This side of the “doing” scale speaks to those Christians who are still double-minded. We want to serve God and mammon; we have two masters; we are influenced by both the scriptures and the world.
Seeking Approval – We do things so people will accept us and like us. Every apparent act of good and sacrifice is motivated and designed to obtain the acceptance of a few key people.
Seeking Reputation – We do things so people will admire us and respect us, and so we can achive position and power. Here we consider how widely known something is likely to become and how we can maximize this impact.
Seeking Security – We do things to protect our possessions and to protect ourselves from pain associated with loss of status and prestige.
Seeking Wealth – Our values have been so infused with the way the world thinks, that wealth becomes the reasonable way to achieve and maintain approval, reputation, and security. Self-indulgence is considered a rightful privilege
Serving
This side of the “doing” scale speaks to those Christians who have begun to serve others and are growing in selflessness in doing so. Service to others is being done with fewer and fewer strings and less and less fanfare.
Low Visibility – As the need for approval moves from men to God, we stop worrying about who gets the credit and if others will know what we have done and are doing. We find satisfaction simply in serving others and this joy is magnified when doing so remains a secret between us and God. We consciously guard against the ever present temptation of seeking credit and self-glory.
Some Material Cost – We are willing to have less as we learn to be content, and begin to share possessions and give up power at levels that present real loss in the eyes of the world, but are joy to us in order to help another.
Some Reputation Cost – Focusing on the needs of others, and a lack of focus on what others think, often leads us into paths that are seen as foolishly “wasting” our lives and our talents in “religion.”
Sacrificial –Now, even many Christians believe we have “gone too far.” Wrong career paths, wrong places, wrong people, wrong places. While our lifestyle becomes a threat to nominal Christians, it paradoxically becomes intriguingly safe to unbelievers.
Messages in the Matrix Quadrants
The Discipleship Scale creates a corresponding Missional Matrix in each of the four quadrants. We can not only use this to examine what message we ourselves are sending, but also to examine the ministry and outreaches we are employing. In each quadrant, we are sending a core message—intentionally or unintentionally–to those around us.
1. The Rejection Quadrant (lower left)
People know when our heart isn’t in what we are doing, and they know when deep down, we really don’t care for them at all. We make those around us feel rejected by an uncaring God, and often they respond by rejecting us–and our God–in self-protection.
2. The Resentment Quadrant (lower right)
We stand apart from those beneath us, paternally stooping down to offer them our help. The context of sharing material things is often contrived and artificial. We don’t want them to get too close, and we expect their thanks. They are, in fact, serving our needs to do good, not we serving them. Our watchword is, “beggars can’t be choosers.”
3. The Mistrust Quadrant (upper left)
People receive a very mixed message when we are willing to be with them and invite them into our lives, but yet we withhold our money and possessions from them, even when they have deep practical needs. The context of this “being together” is often contrived and artificial. They are, in fact, serving our needs to be seen and known as doing good, not we serving them.
4. The Wonder Quadrant (upper right)
When we are open and available, and easily share our time and resources to meet needs, we set a solid example for other believes to follow and we foster a sense of wonder in the unsaved. The context of being together and sharing possessions is in a normal, natural environment—living among those we serve, naturally intermingled at home, at work, at play, among coworkers, neighbors and friends.
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