Missional renaissance - pt 1

Some randomlies I picked up while reading chapters 1-3 of Reggie McNeal's Missional Renaissance:

• p. 19 "When you refer to 'a' missional church, you miss the point... The discussion should be about 'the' church. 'A' church is an institutional way of looking at church. 'The' church is a movement. 'The' church is people."
• p. 24 "...the missional church is the people of God participating with God in his redemptive mission in the world."
• p. 24 "We are to be the aroma of Jesus in the cemetery of decaying flesh" (not sure how I feel about this statement. I like the 'aroma of jesus' part, but the 'cemetery of decaying flesh'...?).
• p. 31-32 (Eph. 4:13) 'Speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.' "This statement was made by the apostle Paul to demonstrate what spiritual maturity looks like and what it accomplishes... Missional followers of Jesus believe that both sides of this equation are important: truth and love. Mainline denominations and other ministries have been practicing a "social gospel" for decades, emphasizing love that involves ministries of justice and mercy and compassion. However, as one mainline leader confessed to me, 'We have just been too afraid to mention Jesus.' Evangelicals, on the other hand, have insisted on capital-T Truth and have sought to preserve and defend biblical truth against all comers. The trouble is that such devotion to being right has come off as self-righteousness to many people in our culture, especially in light of so little action on behalf of marginalized people in our society. Both approaches come up short. The missional movement understands that both truth and love must be present to reflect the whole heart of God for people. Not telling people the truth doesn't serve them fully even if you love them. Telling people the truth without loving them hardly encourages them to embrace it. Improving people's lives cannot just be seen as a prelude to evangelism. On the other hand, people need the truth of God's insights in order to be fully blessed." [A huge, huge, huge point. imho]
  
• p. 33 "...when the people of God act like the people of God, we actually help people see God." (salt of the earth. mt. 5.13-15)
  
• p. 37 "The biblical record often observes that when the people of God mistakenly think they are God's only or primary concern, they become callous to the very people God is wooing."
• p. 45 "The church is wherever followers of Jesus are. People don't GO TO church; they ARE the church. They don't bring people to church; they bring the church to people."
• p. 46 "What's the point of being the people of God if the people of God are not the point? The role of the church is simply this: to bless the world. In doing this, the people of God reveal God's heart for the world." (Abraham - Gen. 12)
  
• p. 47 "Instead of having an evangelism strategy, I urge congregations and people to develop a blessing strategy."
• p. 48 'Blessing People': Ask "How can I ask God to bless you?" If they agree to prayer, say, "I'll ask God to help you."
• p. 49 "To practice the blessing life, you will need to believe God, not just believe IN God. There's a huge difference between the two."