I played a lot of basketball growing up, and some people would say I was decent at the sport. When I was in middle school, I heard that Larry Bird, one of the best to ever play the game, would shoot and make 100 consecutive free throws after every practice. I was a Lakers fan at the time and despised Bird, a member of my team’s rival, the Celtics. However, I had to grudgingly admire Bird’s work ethic and could not argue with his results. I adopted a similar habit — I stayed after practice shooting free throws and jump shots until my coach kicked me out of the gym. 

After weeks of hard work, I was not seeing any real results. One practice, as I grew frustrated with my missed shots and internally cursed Larry Bird, my coach said, “You gotta tuck your elbow in.” He proceeded to teach me that I had to keep the elbow of my shooting hand at a right angle and centered under the ball. It was a small shift but it caused my accuracy to steadily increase. By that time, I had been playing basketball for years and intentionally trying to improve my shot nearly every day for months. And, all the while I was practicing incorrectly. I was faithful. I was diligent. And, at the same time, I was wrong.

My early basketball lessons remind me of my early efforts to participate in the mission of Jesus. In my late twenties, I became convinced that I needed to help spread the good news about Jesus. I volunteered to hand out tracts in communities where I did not live. I knocked on the doors of people I would likely never see again. I handed out backpacks and bikes to children whose names I would never know. I had awkward and unsolicited conversations with people on the train about their salvation. I was doing all the things that I thought missional people should do. Yet, I saw little evidence that my actions made any tangible difference in the world. As in basketball, I later learned that my practice was flawed. 

I was faithful. I was diligent. And I was wrong.

Let me say clearly that I believe no effort is wasted in God. Even while my approach to mission was misguided, the Lord was with me, cultivating new life deep within. And I believe that God used my imperfect witness — among human beings there is no other kind of witness — to draw others to himself.

When I noticed that it did not seem like my efforts were well received, I started thinking about my understanding of mission. My approach started in the right place; however, there was a missing ingredient. My concept of mission began by answering two key questions: Firstly, “Who is the God revealed by Jesus Christ?,” followed secondly by “Why did God create human beings?” Those questions were good questions and they led me conclude that I needed to join Jesus in declaring with words and demonstrations that Christ is Lord, and God’s Kingdom is near (Mark 1:15). 

Even while my approach to mission was misguided, the Lord was with me, cultivating new life deep within. God used my imperfect witness — among human beings there is no other kind of witness — to draw others to himself. Share on X

However, I have learned that the practice of missiology is incomplete unless it includes a missional posture. In other words, the “why” of mission has to be complemented with a Christ-centered “how” of mission. By “how,” I do not mean a particular strategy. Rather, I am talking about a way of moving through the world. So, to have the correct missional posture, I had to ask and answer a third question: “As a follower of Christ, what do I owe my fellow human being?”

Sadly, as we look at how our own society operates, it seems like we struggle to come up with good answers to the question of what we owe our fellow human beings. Poverty is still with us. Slavery is still with us. Homelessness, sexism, racism, child abuse, and human trafficking are all still with us. I think we can all agree that we owe our fellow human beings something more than these systemic injustices. Unfortunately, without Christ, the question becomes a philosophical exercise, and not something that actually affects how we treat each other.

Thankfully, I believe Christ shows us a better way. According to Scripture, what we owe our fellow human beings is to be a good neighbor to them. It seems simple. However, Jesus defined neighbor in such a way that becoming one is a lifelong challenge. I believe Jesus defined neighbor for us in the Parable of the Good Samaritan, found in Luke 10:25-37. Please take a moment to read and reflect on this familiar parable in full:

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’”

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” (Luke 10:25-37, NIV)

According to Scripture, what we owe our fellow human beings is to be a good neighbor to them. It seems simple. However, Jesus defined neighbor in such a way that becoming one is a lifelong challenge. Share on X

In this conversation with the expert in the law, Jesus did something extraordinary. The expert asked, “And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29). The way the man phrased the question assumed his own neighborliness, and placed himself in the role of judging neighborliness in others. In other words, he asked Jesus how he was to decide who was worthy of his love and concern. In his response, Jesus flipped the legal expert’s question on its head. After telling a righteously disruptive story, Christ asked, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” (Luke 10:36) The way Jesus phrased his question made neighborliness something that can only be determined by the person in need of a neighbor. Neighborliness is not something that we judge in ourselves. Rather it is something we strive for others to testify us to be. Despite our best intentions, our personal neighborliness cannot be assumed. 

Jesus’ beautiful concept of neighbor is challenging for all believers. It is a high standard to reach because it requires us to show care for every person we encounter. We naturally want to define neighbor for ourselves. Like the legal expert, we want to decide for ourselves who is worthy of our proximity, attention, and care. We unconsciously develop our own rationale for deciding who gets excluded from our circle of love.

Following Christ means giving up a vote in who is and is not our neighbor. It calls on us to see all human beings as our neighbor and to endeavor to be seen as a neighbor in the eyes of all who look upon us. Our neighbor is the one to whom the Spirit leads us and the one the Spirit leads to us. We have no say in how our neighbors look, how much money they have, the color of their skin, the country of their origin, their gender, their class, language spoken, political affiliation, or attitude. We cannot even control whether or not they say “Thank you.” Yet, as we move through the world, God calls on us to “act justly and love mercy and walk humbly with [our] God” (Micah 6:8).

Jesus’ concept of neighborliness compels me to follow the example of the Good Samaritan. The first action the Samaritan took was to draw near. He became proximate to the man who fell victim to violence. The story of the man who was robbed became intertwined with the story of the Good Samaritan — they shared the same place. This was the misaligned elbow in my previous attempts at mission. I was trying to love that which I did not know. I was trying to cultivate Christ without the capacity to contextualize Christ. I was trying to teach others while assuming they had nothing to teach me. I decided for myself what it meant to be a neighbor and did not try to see myself through the eyes of my “target audience.” 

I am now trying to do better. 

By God’s grace, I no longer assume my neighborliness. I first look to Christ, who is everyone’s best neighbor. I look for what he is doing in the lives of those around me and do my best to participate. So, we go to birthday parties, game nights, community celebrations, candlelight vigils, and any other event that is important to the life of the people among whom God has placed me. I connect with people and build relationships with them, no strings attached. Of course, I have a hope that everyone I meet will realize their connection to Christ and follow him. However, I do not sever my relationship with them when that does not happen (yet). I want to get to know them for who they are because I have something to learn from every person God brings into my path. I want to know them so I can learn how to be their neighbor. 

All mission should flow from relationship — relationship with God and our fellow human beings. Our posture in mission should be shaped by what Jesus says we owe others. We may be doing a lot of good things. However, if the people we serve do not see us as a neighbor, are we truly serving them? Are we serving our neighbors with understanding because we have drawn near? Are those to whom God has sent us co-creators of our missional efforts? Or, have we assumed that we know what is best? 

I am still learning. I still must practice. However, I praise God that he has shown me a better way to live as a neighbor. I pray that our missional efforts be rooted in Christ and authentic relationships. May God bless us to be viewed as a neighbor by those in need of one.

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Following Christ means giving up a vote in who is and is not our neighbor. It calls on us to see all human beings as our neighbor and to endeavor to be seen as a neighbor in the eyes of all who look upon us. (1/3) Share on X

Our neighbor is the one to whom the Spirit leads us and the one the Spirit leads to us. (2/3) Share on X

We have no say in how our neighbors look, how much money they have, the color of their skin, the country of their origin, their gender, their class, language spoken, political affiliation, or attitude. (3/3) Share on X

*Editorial Note: Missio Alliance is pleased to have Forge America as content partners. Forge America is a network of practitioners cultivating practitioners who join in the everyday mission of God. On the last Tuesday of each month (except when falling on a major holiday), articles from missional practitioners within the Forge network will be featured in our Writing Collectives. We look forward to sharing their thoughtful, leading-edge missional perspectives with you. ~MA