2. The Lord’s Prayer
1. God, who makes us
one family …
2. May Your unspeakable
Name be revered.

3. 3. Now, here on earth
may Your
commonwealth come.
4. On earth as in
heaven may Your will
be done.

4. 5. Give us today our
bread for today.
4. Forgive us our
wrongs as we forgive.

5. 3. Lead us away from
the perilous trial.
2. Liberate us from the
evil.

6. 1.For the kingdom is
yours and yours alone.
2. The power is yours and
yours alone.
3.The glory is yours and
yours alone.
4.Now and forever, amen.

7. 5. Now, here on earth may your
commonwealth come.
4. Here on earth may your
dreams come true.
3. Hallelujah
2. Hallelujah
1. Amen.

8. rediscovering the
bible as a
missional
resource

9. slides are available
www. brianmclaren.net
resources - downloads
slideshare
Free Ebook if you sign up for my
email list.

11. 4 global emergencies...
1. Planet
The Human
Conventional View
God created the world as perfect,
Emerging View
God created the world as good, but
Situation: What but because our primal human beings – as individuals, and as
2. Poverty
is the story that
ancestors, Adam and Eve, did groups – have rebelled against God and
we find not maintain the absolute filled the world with evil and injustice
ourselves in? perfection demanded by God, like a terrible disease. God wants to save
God has irrevocably determined humanity and heal it from its sickness,
that the entire universe and all it but humanity is hopelessly lost and
contains will be destroyed, and confused, like sheep without a shepherd,
the souls of all human beings – wandering farther and farther into
except for those specifically lostness and danger. Left to themselves,
3. Peace
exempted – will be forever human beings will spiral downward in
punished for their imperfection sickness and evil.
in hell.1
Basic Since everyone is doomed to Since the human race is in such desperate
Questions: What hell, Jesus seeks to answer these trouble, Jesus seeks to answer this
questions did questions: how can individuals question: what must be done about the
Jesus come to be saved from eternal mess we’re in? The mess refers both to
answer? punishment in hell and instead the general human condition and its
go to heaven after they die? How specific outworking among his
4. Religion
can God help individuals be contemporaries: living under domination
happy and successful until then? by the Roman empire, and divided into
various competing sects.
Jesus’ message: Jesus says, in essence, “If you Jesus says, in essence, “Other people and
How did Jesus want to be among those groups – including your own religious
respond to the specifically qualified to escape leaders - are leading you farther and
crisis? being forever punished for your farther astray. I have been sent by God
sins in hell, you must repent of with this good news – that God loves
your individual sins and believe humanity, even in its lostness and sin.
that my Father punished me on God graciously invites everyone and
the cross so He won’t have to anyone to question and reject what they
punish you in hell. Only if you have been told and instead follow a new
believe this will you go to path. Trust me and become my disciple,
heaven when everyone else is and you will be transformed, and you will
banished to hell.”2 This is the participate in the transformation of the
good news. world, which is possible, beginning right
now.”3 This is the good news.
1
Of course, there are many modern western non-religious ontologies and framing stories too,
plus Eastern ontologies and framing stories – both religious and irreligious.
2
This reflects a Calvinistic Evangelical protestant version of the message. The popular Roman
Catholic version might say, “You must believe in the teachings of the church and follow its
instructions, especially those regarding sacraments.” The popular mainline or liberal Protestant

12. Heat
Solar Energy
Prosperity
Resources
Waste
Equity Security
Societal Machine
The Ecosystem

13. Heat
Solar Energy
Prosperity
Resources
Waste
Equity Security
Societal Machine
The Ecosystem
Framing Story

14. Heat
Solar Energy
Prosperity
Resources
Waste
Equity Security
Societal Machine
Gospel/Good News
Jesus’ message of the kingdom,
kindom, reign, commonwealth, dream, Framing Story
ecosystem, family, network, or
movement of God....

15. God’s incoming love-in-
action for ...
The Human
Situation: What
Conventional View
God created the world as perfect,
but because our primal
is the story that
ancestors, Adam and Eve, did
Emerging View
God created the world as good, but
human beings – as individuals, and as
groups – have rebelled against God and
1. the Planet
we find not maintain the absolute filled the world with evil and injustice
ourselves in? perfection demanded by God, like a terrible disease. God wants to save
God has irrevocably determined humanity and heal it from its sickness,
that the entire universe and all it but humanity is hopelessly lost and
contains will be destroyed, and confused, like sheep without a shepherd,
the souls of all human beings – wandering farther and farther into
except for those specifically lostness and danger. Left to themselves,
exempted – will be forever human beings will spiral downward in
punished for their imperfection sickness and evil.
2. the Poor
in hell.1
Basic Since everyone is doomed to Since the human race is in such desperate
Questions: What hell, Jesus seeks to answer these trouble, Jesus seeks to answer this
questions did questions: how can individuals question: what must be done about the
Jesus come to be saved from eternal mess we’re in? The mess refers both to
answer? punishment in hell and instead the general human condition and its
go to heaven after they die? How specific outworking among his
can God help individuals be contemporaries: living under domination
3. Peace
happy and successful until then? by the Roman empire, and divided into
various competing sects.
Jesus’ message: Jesus says, in essence, “If you Jesus says, in essence, “Other people and
How did Jesus want to be among those groups – including your own religious
respond to the specifically qualified to escape leaders - are leading you farther and
crisis? being forever punished for your farther astray. I have been sent by God
sins in hell, you must repent of with this good news – that God loves
your individual sins and believe humanity, even in its lostness and sin.
that my Father punished me on God graciously invites everyone and
4. All of us ...
the cross so He won’t have to anyone to question and reject what they
punish you in hell. Only if you have been told and instead follow a new
believe this will you go to path. Trust me and become my disciple,
heaven when everyone else is and you will be transformed, and you will
banished to hell.”2 This is the participate in the transformation of the
good news. world, which is possible, beginning right
now.”3 This is the good news.
1
Of course, there are many modern western non-religious ontologies and framing stories too,
plus Eastern ontologies and framing stories – both religious and irreligious.
2
This reflects a Calvinistic Evangelical protestant version of the message. The popular Roman
Catholic version might say, “You must believe in the teachings of the church and follow its
instructions, especially those regarding sacraments.” The popular mainline or liberal Protestant

16. Seeing Acts in a
fresh way ...
Luke and Acts as one ongoing story:
Acts of Jesus, Acts of the Risen Christ
through the apostles

17. Seeing Acts in a
fresh way ...
Kingdom of God -
the ultimate non-dual reality:
God & Creation
Us & Them
Now & Forever
Personal/Spiritual and Public/Political

18. 11 From Troas we put out to
sea and sailed straight for
Samothrace, and the next day
we went on to Neapolis. 12
From there we traveled to
Philippi, a Roman colony and
the leading city of that district
of Macedonia. And we stayed
there several days.

20. 13 On the Sabbath we went outside the
city gate to the river, where we expected
to find a place of prayer. We sat down and
began to speak to the women who had
gathered there. 14 One of those listening
was a woman from the city of Thyatira
named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She
was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened
her heart to respond to Paul's message. 15
When she and the members of her
household were baptized, she invited us to
her home. "If you consider me a believer in
the Lord," she said, "come and stay at my
house." And she persuaded us.

21. 16 Once when we were going to
the place of prayer, we were met by
a female slave who had a spirit by
which she predicted the future. She
earned a great deal of money for
her owners by fortune-telling. 17
She followed Paul and the rest of
us, shouting, "These men are
servants of the Most High God, who
are telling you the way to be
saved."

22. 18 She kept this up for many
days. Finally Paul became so
annoyed that he turned around
and said to the spirit, "In the
name of Jesus Christ I
command you to come out of
her!" At that moment the spirit
left her.

23. 19 When her owners realized that
their hope of making money was
gone, they seized Paul and Silas and
dragged them into the marketplace to
face the authorities. 20 They brought
them before the magistrates and
said, "These men are Jews, and are
throwing our city into an uproar 21
by advocating customs unlawful for
us Romans to accept or practice."

24. 22 The crowd joined in the attack
against Paul and Silas, and the
magistrates ordered them to be
stripped and beaten with rods. 23 After
they had been severely flogged, they
were thrown into prison, and the jailer
was commanded to guard them
carefully. 24 When he received these
orders, he put them in the inner cell
and fastened their feet in the stocks.

25. 25 About midnight
Paul and Silas were
praying and singing
hymns to God, and the
other prisoners were
listening to them.

26. 26 Suddenly there was
such a violent
earthquake that the
foundations of the
prison were shaken.

27. 23 August 2011
Washington DC, USA
5.9 on richter scale

29. May 2010
Washington DC, USA
4.5 on richter scale
(viewer discretion
advsied)

31. At once all the prison doors flew
open, and everyone's chains
came loose. 27 The jailer woke
up, and when he saw the prison
doors open, he drew his sword
and was about to kill himself
because he thought the
prisoners had escaped. 28 But
Paul shouted, "Don't harm
yourself! We are all here!"

32. 29 The jailer called
for lights, rushed in and
fell trembling before
Paul and Silas. 30 He
then brought them out
and asked, "Sirs, what
must I do to be saved?"

33. 31 They replied, "Believe in the Lord
Jesus, and you will be saved—you and
your household." 32 Then they spoke the
word of the Lord to him and to all the
others in his house. 33 At that hour of
the night the jailer took them and
washed their wounds; then immediately
he and all his household were baptized.
34 The jailer brought them into his house
and set a meal before them; he was filled
with joy because he had come to believe
in God—he and his whole household.

34. 35 When it was daylight, the
magistrates sent their officers to
the jailer with the order:
"Release those men." 36 The
jailer told Paul, "The
magistrates have ordered that
you and Silas be released. Now
you can leave. Go in peace."

35. 37 But Paul said to the
officers: "They beat us
publicly without a trial, even
though we are Roman
citizens, and threw us into
prison. And now do they
want to get rid of us quietly?
No! Let them come
themselves and escort us
out."

36. 38 The officers reported this to the
magistrates, and when they heard that
Paul and Silas were Roman citizens,
they were alarmed. 39 They came to
appease them and escorted them from
the prison, requesting them to leave
the city. 40 After Paul and Silas came
out of the prison, they went to Lydia's
house, where they met with the
believers and encouraged them. Then
they left.

37. The gospel of the kingdom of God
engages with
a colony of the empire of Caesar
Begins with the marginal
Rescues the vulnerable
Infuriates the oppressors
Loves the enemy
Confronts injustice
Sings, prays, and evangelizes

38. Internal spiritual formation in the way
of Jesus ...
is expressed through participation with
the Spirit
in the liberation of children, women,
and men ...
starting with the weakest and least
and continuing to those in power.

39. for dialogue

40. What cities might function in today’s
world as “Rome” did for Luke?
Who might be the “slave girls” of
today’s world?
Who might be the jailers of today’s
world?
“What must I do to be saved?” How
would you answer?
How do you sense God speaking to
you through today’s text and
discussion?

42. The Lord’s Prayer
1. Our Father above us
and all around us …
2. May Your unspeakable
Name be revered.

43. 3. Now, here on earth
may Your
commonwealth come.
4. On earth as in
heaven may Your will
be done.

44. 5. Give us today our
bread for today.
4. Forgive us our
wrongs as we forgive.

45. 3. Lead us away from
the perilous trial.
2. Liberate us from the
evil.

46. 1.For the kingdom is
yours and yours alone.
2. The power is yours and
yours alone.
3.The glory is yours and
yours alone.
4.Now and forever, amen.

47. 5. Now, here on earth may your
commonwealth come.
4. Here on earth may your
dreams come true.
3. Hallelujah
2. Hallelujah
1. Amen.

48. Missio Dei in Terra Nova
(God’s mission in new territory)
mission = love in action