Worship - where is it heading?

Is this liturgical and experiential move or shift in our worship services really where we need to head? Is this what God is looking for us to do? Are we even asking the right questions? I really like this stuff so don't think that I am against or negative by my questions. I just wonder if God is even concerned about any of this.

The Gospel Message

I was reminded this morning about one of the posts I made when I started this blog. I wanted to find out what you all thought about the Gospel message. The more I listen to what others are saying the more I am convinced that we have relegated the Gospel to being just information to get us from hell to heaven. I have even heard some refer to people as having accepted this “Gospel” as merely “fire insurance.” Well, at this point, I haven’t heard the Gospel presented in any other form other than “fire insurance.” The age old question, “If you were to die today, do you know if you would go to heaven?” speaks of a Gospel that is just about going from hell to heaven.

Where is the message of the Kingdom of God? Where is the message of “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full”? (John 10:10, NIV) The Gospel message is one that tells people that they can have a new vision of life in all manner of ways, a life that has more meaning NOW not just after death.

Here is how McLaren states a deeper meaning to the Gospel:

“This understanding of the gospel is inherently relational (kingdom is a relational word – implying relationship with the king, with fellow citizens, with the territory, with the laws of the king and standards of justice and mercy, etc.) and missional (meaning it propels us into mission, for the kingdom is also a revolution against the status quo dominated by “principalities and powers”) and monastic (meaning it calls us to shared spiritual practices in community – such as prayer and reconciliation – racial, religious, economic, etc.).” (Taken from “The Strategy We Pursue”, p. 7)

I think that we need to present a fuller Gospel than is being presented. When we present the Gospel in all its fullness, it will attract more people who want to know that there is more to this life than they have experienced so far. When they come to know that Jesus can transform their personal, family, social, community life, they will respond to that message.

Internal or External?

When you think of the church that you are a part of, how would you define the focus? Would you say that it is focused primarily on internal things and most of the energy and resources are spent on what goes on inside? Or would you say that it is focused externally on the community and world it is a part of with a large amount of resources and energy spent on being salt and light? Perhaps you would say that the church you are a part of has a strong focus on both internal and external. A healthy church would include both in order to be strong.

My observation has been that many churches are internally focused to the exclusion of any energy or even financial resources being designated to impact the communities they are in. I was reading through an article from www.leadnet.org entitled "Churches Moving Into the Community," and it opened my eyes to the need to be more involved in our communities. For example, LifeBridge Christian Church in Colorado made a decision to impact and care for the community they were in. 1300 people from the church donated thousands of hours through partnerships with 29 human service agencies and other local ministries to clean three public elementary schools, spent 6 weekends fixing up a mobile home park, and 5 mechanics serviced over 300 cars for single moms. Members of Fellowship Bible Church also wanted to make a difference and so they have. They have helped build parks, playgrounds, and refurbished nearly 50 schools, set records for Red Cross blood donations, and they teach life skill classes in public places to help people with life issues.

Now granted, these churches may be larger churches, perhaps they became larger churches because they are more focused on the external. Jesus has called us to be a light and yet too many times there is one place that is well lit and unless people come to that one place, they remain in darkness. Isn't it time that we take the light out into the darkness and let it shine?

Instead of just ranting about this idea, perhaps we can be proactive and do something about it. What are some ideas that you can start doing right now that would shift the focus to the external where you serve? If you are a part of a church that is focused on the external, what are some things that you are involved in that impact your community?

A Disciple's Journey

A Disciple's Journey
Thursday November 18th
We came across an interesting thought in our small group bible study Monday night. We were talking about false prophets and the narrow and wide gate that lead to either heaven or hell. The scripture is found in around Matthew 7:13 and following I believe. It talks about the false prophets coming to us in sheeps clothing and so on.
Anyway, there are answers at the back of our book and it described a false prophet of the OT as one who would blur the lines between God's compassion and His judgment. As if to say that when one comes to you and leans always on the "its OK, God loves you" instead of "watch out" that we shoud be careful.
I have to ask myself if this is me. I recognize that God ,especially of the NT, is a God of love, but what about His justice. So what are your thoughts.

Simplicity. Is it possible to live a life of simplicity in America? Is it possible to build a gathering of believers much more simply than we have in the past? Does the church add to overburdening of people's lives with all the extras we do? Questions that I have been pondering for months now. Questions that come as I hear more and more people say, "we are just so busy." I begin to wonder if I add to that busyness in my ministry unnecessarily because we have always done ministry this way.

Thoughts from one who's journey seems so busy.

Define the Gospel

Reading through another article by Brian McLaren, he proposes that we may need to go back and renew our understanding of what the Gospel message is. I would be curious as to your definition of the Gospel message prior to reading the article and then read his take on the need to rediscover the meaning of the Gospel. Eventually, I would like to pick apart the other four points in this article for each of them is rich in thought, but for right now, let's start with the first one.

Might as well join in!

I figured I may as well join in on this whole Blogging thing. Perhaps I can provoke some discussion on spiritual matters as a disciple on a journey. Perhaps this can even be a sounding board for renewed ideas that have long been forgotten in regards to our beliefs in God, Jesus, and the church.

A new look at evangelism

ChristianityToday.com
I read this article yesterday and has me really thinking hard about how we view evangelism and the place of the "church." I think most of us would agree that the the "church is not a place one attends but a community to which one belongs" but is that really what live out? Do we sometimes miss the idea that Jesus said "Go" not invite them here? McLaren is hitting some pretty heavy issues here and challenging us to think about the Gospel in a new light for our time.