January 22, 2007
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What is Church?
Discipling, Christ Centered(Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4) (Part 5) (Part 6) This is Part 7
Church is a community of people that encourage and teach each other the ways and the wisdom of Jesus, indeed…God. Not out of a “legalistic belief”….but out of the joy of obedience, truth, fullfillment and love. A community where the pastors and leaders equip people for the mission and to serve one another.(discipling, Christ centered)
First, I would point out that when leaders are mentioned……..that can easily include you! However, it is important to note that God wired some people as leaders and some as followers. So, it’s certainly okay to be a follower. Keep in mind also that many followers become leaders. A good follower needs a good leader and good leaders need good followers. They both work together hand in hand.
If we are a community of Christ followers……we’re a community of believers by default…..because everything we do should be centered on Jesus. We are people who are passionately dependent upon God in worship and prayer all week long.
This community comes together weekly as a body to Praise and Worship God and to teach and encourage each other and….to get refuled….to then go out and simply “live” ministry through our interactions with others in daily life. Then they go on throughout the week in home churches and Bible studies, and groups of people doing “like” things….living the Truth.A church is a gathering of people who immerse themselves in the ways of God…….to worship and love the Most Holy……..to pray…….. to celebrate what Jesus is doing in their lives and their world so that they can LEAVE………yes…I believe that we come to church so that we can LEAVE……so that we can GO OUT and meet people where they are, so that we can GO OUT and share our lives with others, thereby sharing what we hold most dear, our relationship with Christ, with others.
How can we better disciple people, teach them the ways of Jesus?
How can we better foster the encouragement of others in the ways of Jesus?
How can we do this with out being “legalistic”?
Please, please……tell me what you think….
Comments (6)
Hey Jan,
You know I’ve actually contemplated these questions myself lately. They are what is leading me to my “Solutions” posts, but I’m starting to see more and more….Jesus didn’t come to start Christianity…..He didn’t come to start a new religion. I think He came to renew all things and show us a WAY to live. He came to show us a new way to live our lives so that we could be more in tune with each other and our God.
In Josephus’ writings we can read of a time when Josephus was a soilder and came across an enemy in the field. Instead of killing the enemy, his words say that he pleaded with the man to, “Repent and believe in me.” Was Josephus saying what Jesus was saying, was he elevating himself to divinity? No…..he was saying, “Turn from your rebellion and believe in my cause….believe it is a better way.”
Jesus isn’t throwing religion around at people….He’s just simply saying to the world, “Turn from your rebellion and believe in my cause…..believe it is a better way.”
“How can we better disciple people, teach them the ways of Jesus? How can we better foster the encouragement of others in the ways of Jesus? How can we do this with out being “legalistic”?”
I think it starts with not handing people another religion, but rather, showing them a better Way to live…..because ultimately…..we believe that His Way is the best Way….right?
Religion is difficult….religion is demanding and hard….religion is about rules…..The Way is about freedom, love, grace, mercy and forgiveness….the Way is about life.
ryc Jason: I agree strongly, Jesus “came to renew all things and show us a WAY to live. He came to show us a new way to live our lives so that we could be more in tune with each other and our God.” Your comments resonate with me……
Had a great time at Grace and grits tonight! Thank you for coming. You have a wonderful family! God bless!
Thanks for your comment and blessing:)
Jan,
I just wanted to say thanks for the conversation and fellowship last night. I enjoyed it and I hope we continue to grow with one another.
Peace to you
Jason
i like the “better way” form of life that Jason presents. Legalistic views tend to lose site of the main thing. Living in a way that Jesus would have us live, a life reflecting the grace we each have been given.
ryv Jim (JimRogers): I like very much what you said, “Living in a way that Jesus would have us live, a life reflecting the grace we each have been given.”. God bless you!