Okay, I borrowed the pic from the Web site. Rhonda does a great job of finding cool pictures. Just note their is no "sermon sidebar" to click.
I appreciated Tom's observation about how we need the transformative work of the gospel within the life of the church. It seems to me that only as we live the kingdom of our Lord within the church will the power flow outside the church. What gets in the way? I have mentioned sin and sleep but the idea of "openness" keeps coming back to me. I keep returning to my thoughts on Jonah - he simply didn't live open to God but had a closed life.
I would appreciate any comments on some specific things the Spirit needs to break through in our church that would give us a deeper openness with each other and of course with God.
The bible is so full of reluctant leaders, people who resisted the call of God in their lives and were not open to it. Jonah is one, Paul of course, Moses, and so many others. It seems like, sometimes, we have to be dragged to accept God's gifts kicking and screaming.
ReplyDeleteThe amazing thing, to me, is how changed and more powerful (in a positive way) these people became when they opened themselves to God's leading.
I think most Christians know, when we are down and deep honest with ourselves, where our self imposed roadblocks are. Non-believers may not, but most of us who have been part of a church family do know. We know if we have sought to understand what gifts God gave us, and whether we have tried to put those gifts at God's feet or not. We know whether we are open to God's love, with it's forgiveness, promise and commitments, or not, or part way.
That CAN be the power of church, to draw us together to lean on and lift each other up. At least if that is the tack we choose to take in our church life. Encouragement instead of discouragement. Lifting up instead of breaking down. Professing our hope and joy instead of anger and control.
It's so hard. So.... human to not surrender. Which of course, is why we need to open ourselves. We just can't get there ourselves.
Your vision for life in the kingdom is very encouraging. I suspect that much what you wrote will be experienced to its fullness in the eternal fellowship. In that fellowship we will always be open and always be lifting each other up to Jesus.
ReplyDeleteI have been especially encouraged with the way Small Groups have developed. There is no doubt that this is one of the primary ways to interact for the purpose of lifting people up in faith and hope.
I really can't help but be fascinated with the prospect of antagonism. While I think agitation is the right level of it during sermons, cranking up the intensity and focus on congregants' personal lives might be the right gameplan in more intimate settings (ie small groups). As someone with a lot of charisma and influence, I know you would be able to affect people over the hump. Sermons might affect a larger scale of people, but rarely as deeply as personal interactions tend to. So, if you're striving to find ways to affect people through sermons, you may want to forget it. Being the performer of them, and while it's your formal commitment, there must obviously be pressure to focus on that. But, I would imagine it's self-propelled. I'm not sure what figure you aim to be in social settings, but at whatever risk of it, I think adapting your plans to a more antagonistic spirit would be the play your hand needs you to make to succeed. I'm not sure if that's specific. But, I'm pretty sure I'm reiterating thoughts you've had but were afraid of about small groups. (Or maybe I'm getting ahead of myself...)
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