We've been talking a lot at Highway about being "missional" -- recognizing that we are taking part in the mission that the Creator God began thousands of years ago through Abraham and ultimately brought to fulfillment in Jesus Christ.  More than just simply going on short-term missions trips or giving to worthy causes, being missional means realizing that every moment of every day is a chance to be Christ's hands and feet wherever we are.  To heal the sick.  To comfort the afflicted.  To set the captive free.  To love our neighbor.  All of these mandates (and more!) fall under the heading of being missional.

I've been reading a lot of books on the topic, and I can't recommend a better book for explaining a biblical understanding of "missionality" than Christopher Wright's The Mission of God.

We often are exposed to studies and sermons that talk about the biblical basis for mission (for example, the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:16-20).  But Wright turns this thinking on its head by talking about the missional basis for the Bible.  In other words, Scripture itself is part of God's plan for invading the world with his love and grace. He goes on to talk about how we can gain a fresh understanding of many biblical stories and teachings by reading them from such a missional hermeneutic.  So if you want a better understand of both a) the Bible; and b) our mission as Christians, I heartily recommend Wright's book.  It's a little on the heavy/academic side, but it is also challenging and "meaty" and will reward the reader who sticks with it.

Note: This was a 2007 Christianity Today book award winner.