Current Read

The Church of Irresistable Influence: Bridge-Building Stories to Help Reach Your Community, Rob Lewis

Here's some questions he starts off with to get his reader thinking. Let me share:

Can you imagine the community in which you live being genuinely thankful for your church?

Can you imagine city leaders valuing your church's fiendship and participation in the community - even asking for it?

Can you imagine the neighborhoods around your church talking behind your back about "how good it is" to have your church in the area because of the tangible witness you've offered them of God's love?

Can you imagine a large number of your church members actively engaged in, and passionate about, community service, using their gifts and abilities in ways and at levels they never thought possible?

Can you imagine the community actually changing (Proverbs 11:11) because of the impact of your church's involvement?

Can you imagine many in your city, formerly cynical and hostile toward Christianity, actually praising God for your church and the positive contributions your members have made in Jesus' name?

Can you imagine the spiritual harvest that would naturally follow if all this were true? (Lewis, 14)

Imagine that! That's what I want to see our churches become. Michael Regele says that the church's inward focus is a grave illness. I've watched that happen. I've been a part of that happening. We become more concerned with protecting ourselves than with actually defending the faith. We impose our understanding of Scripture on Scripture so that we are comfortable. We spend the majority of our time looking at what's good for the church and developing programs and policies to make sure that everything runs smoothly. It's such a trap...and a distraction from our true call and purpose. Imagine if the church (meaning all of us who believe), came together, putting aside our differences, and learned to love people regardless of their label - christian or non-christian. What if we just loved people because Jesus loves people? What if our lives reflected that both in our relationships and our service? Imagine what we could do.

I'm imagining what this looks like for me. I'm working on figuring it out. I'm glad to be a part of a church, Journey, that is also working on figuring it out. It's important to me and, I think, it's important to our Father who cares more for all of his children than we can ever know.