Missional is a word that gets thrown around quite a bit, but usually without definition. Many people object to the idea of “being missional,” because they see it as becoming adulterous with the culture we find ourselves in. Unfortunately, for some people, this is all too true. However, that is not what being missional is about- that is being worldly. A quick definition of “being missional” is “to recognize that we are in the world, but not of it.” It is the recognition that we are missionaries where we are at. We are sent to proclaim the Gospel to people. Those people exist within a culture. To be missional is to engage the people and their culture with the Gospel. Because people think and act in terms of this culture, the missionally minded person will evaluate the culture they find themselves in, see in what terms the Gospel can be faithfully communicated in ways that people can understand and reject the parts of culture that are not biblical.
One of the first persons of Scripture that missional people go to as an explanation is Paul, and his declaration that he “has become all things to all people.” Not that he would adopt every instance of whatever culture he was in, but that he would use what part of culture he could, and be counter-cultural to the things that were anti-biblical. In other words, it is not a wholesale acceptance of culture, but neither is it the wholesale rejection of culture. However, Paul’s model is not the one that I want to look at today. My focus today is on Daniel.
1.3The king ordered Ashpenaz, the chief of his court officials, to bring some of the Israelites from the royal family and from the nobility— 4young men without any physical defect, good-looking, suitable for instruction in all wisdom, knowledgeable, perceptive, and capable of serving in the king’s palace —and to teach them the Chaldean language and literature. 5The king assigned them daily provisions from the royal food and from the wine that he drank. They were to be trained for three years, and at the end of that time they were to serve in the king’s court. 6Among them, from the descendants of Judah, were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 7The chief official gave them [different] names: to Daniel, he gave the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.”
Daniel 1.3-7
The king mentioned in verse 3 is none other than Nebuchadnezzar, the idol worshiping king of Babylon, who laid siege to the Southern Kingdom in 587 B.C., destroying both the city of Jerusalem and Solomon’s temple. As a result of this, the Babylonians took the Israelites captive. Certainly, if there was anyone that the Jews would not have wanted to work for, it would be the idolatrous King Nebuchadnezzar, who not only had many of the Jewish people slaughtered, but desecrated their holy city and temple. In the opening verses of Daniel, we begin to see this very thing unfold: Daniel was enlisted to serve the king who destroyed only only the country, but the very way of Jewish life.
Daniel worked within the culture he found himself. Indeed, worked for the very kingdom that destroyed his people. When King Nebuchadnezzar starting having troubling dreams, it was Daniel who interpreted them for him. This gave Daniel favor in the sight of the king. It also gave Daniel the opportunity to proclaim the glory of God, over-and-against the part of Babylonian culture that was anti-biblical:
“2.27Daniel answered the king: “No wise man, medium, diviner-priest, or astrologer is able to make known to the king the mystery he asked about. 28 But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has let King Nebuchadnezzar know what will happen in the last days.”
Daniel 2.27,28
Daniel, knowing that mediums and diviners were an outright offense to God, took the opportunity to make a counter-cultural claim based on his beliefs. Recognize where this happened though, from within the culture itself as he was working for the King. Daniel was not afraid of the culture (he was working within it), but neither did he blindly accept those parts of culture that were against the laws of God. From within the culture itself, he was able to proclaim God. At the close of the chapter, we see that Nebuchadnezzar responds to the interpretation, by promoting and honoring Daniel to being a ruler over a province of Babylon.
Later in his life, as Daniel served under King Darius, we see yet another example of Daniel’s missional activity. In chapter 6 of Daniel, we see a plot begin to unfold by some of King Darius’ men where they attempt to trap Daniel and have him executed. They write up an irreversible edict that stated that no one could pray to any god or man, but only to King Darius. King Darius signs the edict, making it an official policy. Of course, Daniel, being a faithful monotheist Jew, worships and prays to God alone. Upon hearing the decree, Daniel went up to his house and began to pray to God. Seeing this, the king’s men sprung their trap- they reported Daniel to the king, and reminded him of the permanence of the edict.
“As soon as the king heard this, he was very displeased; he set his mind on rescuing Daniel and made every effort until sundown to deliver him.” -Daniel 6.14
Notice the King’s reaction. This is not the reaction of King towards an isolationist revolutionary. If this was so, we would expect (other than the obvious reaction of not letting Daniel serve the king) that Darius would have no problem with the execution. Notice what he says to Daniel next:
“So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, ‘May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!’” – Daniel 6.16
This is not a profession of faith on the part of Darius- notice he says “your God,” not “our God.” But also notice what follows that statement: “whom you serve continually.” The king knew who Daniel served. The language seems to assert that Daniel’s service to God was visible. He was not ashamed of his faith. From within the culture he found himself in, and prospered in, he still followed his faith to the point where people noticed something different about him. He was not afraid of the culture, yet in areas that were against the law of God he was also not afraid to be counter-cultural. For this conviction he found himself thrown into the lion’s den.
Daniel’s culture was not inviting to his faith. It subjugated it, mocked it, and even tried to destroy it. When this happened, Daniel was not afraid to be counter-cultural, even to the point of death if need-be. Yet, in those areas where the culture was found to not be antithetical to the revealed law of God, in terms of work, language, etc. Daniel had absolutely no qualms about working within that culture. Because he was so willing, the glory of God was proclaimed to an idolatrous culture and nation.
What opportunities do you have in your neighborhood, in your vocation, or any number of areas where you can so reflect the glory of God? Where can you speak the Gospel into your culture? Where can you stand counter-culturally so that the Gospel is faithfully proclaimed? Where in your neighborhood can you be a missionary? I seriously doubt that Daniel would have used the Hebrew/Aramaic/Chaldean term for “missional” (not that it exists), but certainly, his very life was a prime example of the missional principle.
“Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that in a case where they speak against you as those who do evil, they may, by observing your good works, glorify God in a day of visitation.”
-1 Peter 2.12
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