And, I have to miss it!
True Vine our new Church in St. Louis metro, now my church is doing something special in a few days. I'm not sure of all the details but our friends who got the "home makeover" will be present and perhaps others who were impacted by the story.
See, we do gather for communion and all the other stuff, but we continue to make the main thing the main thing, living incarnationally before the world so the world can see Jesus! This requires much more time and enrgy and deliberate listening to the Holy Spirit and even action. What's great is we get to meet the needs of those on the "outside" everyday because our family is not consumed with all the ministries on the "inside" of the church. Some of our church family indicate a renewed freedom to move from having no time because they were so busy serving inside to now being able to give it all on the "outside" as God leads.
What a freeing shift. The congregation meets the needs of the body, the parents are taught to disciple their own children everyday instead of little training a couple times a week. We have the ministries we need when we gather -but you would be amazed at how wonderful it feels to have all the other stuff stripped away -we do only what is absolutely necessary on the inside. We free em up to use what they have and their gifting in the world. The good news it is working beyond belief.
I am going to miss it! But my thoughts will be there with them as they meet.
posted by Bob Carder @ 11:02 AM
3 comments
3 Comments:
Hey Bob, I have a question, and I hope this doesn't rub you the wrong way, but I just have to ask: Are you for real? I mean you write as if you are happy and you've found the missing link to your faith. And to be honest, I have never met a person who came across like that that wasn't faking it in some way just so they could attract people to them. The health and wealth people come across like this, and cult leaders with a Messiah complex come across like this as well. NOW, I am not acusing you of being that. But it just seems like when you write, you write off everybody else has "not getting" it, or missing the "true" gospel, or not making "the main thing the main thing", and to be honest it comes across as accusatory, almost like: "I'm right, and you suck" kinda language. It just makes me want to know what you think is wrong in your life, thats all.
Spam, wonderful comments and they are appreciated. I love it when people ask questions like yours.
I am a real as it gets. I am ( to a fault) as down to earth as it get's to a fault. Many churches could not have me as a pastor becuase I don't play the part very well. I am a bigger sinner than you are...I love Jesus and live for Him. I can say with Paul, "I am the chief sinner".
No fake, and if you ever met me you would see that. I'm not as mean as I sound.
I write the way I do because I am trying to stir people up with regard to how we have always done church. If people like you and others will be open to consider the theme of Scripture to "be fruitful and multiply" and the culmination of that truth in the Great Commission purposes also "to be fruitful and multiply."
The only thing I know I'm right about is that theme and supremacy of the command to "be fruitful and multiply" and "disciple multiplication" found in the purposes of the "Great Commission" for all Christ followers.
The church needs to wake up to the fact that we have largely neglected the priority of personally owning the responsibilty for each of us to make disciples who reproduce.
As for cultic, nothing I have said contradicts Scripture as you already know. I do contradic methods of church. All of what I say confronts that way we do church over being the Church in the world.
My whole passion is to make disciples who make disciples who live incarnationally (represent Jesus) in the world so that the world can see who Jesus really is in our actions -(love, compassion, concern, selfless living, etc. Today many would rather show people the way to church instead of showing them the way to Jesus by our witness etc.
My life: I served in the church for 24 years and did what I was supposed to do. I won people to Jesus, many of them, and I counted people at the altar instead of making disciples who do the same.
1. I'm not always loving to my wife and I sometimes fail to serve her. As I love her she is able to submit and not until I have loved her like Jesus loves the church.
2. I was not the greatest father, I put ministry ahead of them. Thank God they love Jesus and live for Him.
3. Sometimes I am not a good incarnational witness for Jesus.
4. Daily I fall short of all Jesus expects of me.
5. Daily I have to run from temptation.
6. Sometimes I fall down on the spiritual disciplines.
7. Everyday I have to ask God to forgive me.
8. You don't really want to know my human weakness and need for God's grace.
I'm trying to serve a new mission which is the old long term mission of Christ. I do long for leaders with passion to make disciples as the main thing -to join me and others in a new wineskin full of a new wine that "Is fruitful and multiplies."
See mcusa.org and click "about MC" and click on our Constitution to see what I believe and live. Of course we have some latitude on non-essential orthodoxy and we allow for diversity as long as the main things clear in scripture are not messed with. You can read our position papers to see how the statements of faith are expanded for our diversity today. We have a generous orthodoxy in the position papers adopted by our General Conferences.
I'm a high "D" choleric and I am passionate about finding a new way to save the Church in America from the path Europe has already trod.
Spam - I was thinking yesterday -"where did SPAM go" maybe I offended him? I'm very thankful for your comments. I love your questions and challenges. We are learning together so keep confronting and honestly communicating.
If I can stir one leader to own the passion of being fruitful and multiplying inthe disciple-making process I have succeeded in being a horse-patoot!
GREAT AND SUPREMELY APPRECIATED COMMENTS BY SPAM -LOVE YOU BRO!
I know I come across the way I do - and it is intentional. I know it rubs and stirs people up but I will keep beating the drum hoping some
Spam - now I'm going to re-direct a question to you. Why do people think that when someone is as excited as I am about something so reproduceable and even as real as I am is somehow part of a cult?"
You know that's what the world thought of Jesus. Anytime Jesus confronted the "insitution" He was labeled cultic or even worse.
I may even die confronting something that is dying, but until I take my last breath I will risk it all: my reputation, my being misunderstood, persecuted by the establishment, spoken evil of, fired, or even killed by the church.
I press on regardless! I care more about what Jesus thinks than I do about man.
Spam - Don't take it personally but you gave me a discipling moment and I have to seize it.
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