WELCOME, CHURCH, TO OUR GATHERING!
Sage words from Jeff Vanderstelt…
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A while back I shared at a seminar how we welcome people to our Gatherings on a weekly basis in order to remind them that they ARE THE CHURCH…Here’s what we generally say…
“Welcome to Soma’s Gathering. We believe because of what Jesus has accomplished through his life, death and resurrection that we have become His Church saved BY His work FOR His work. We no longer GO to church because we ARE the church. In fact, we believe that We, the Church, go to the world as God’s sent people to bring the good news of Jesus in word and deed so others might believe and become Jesus’ Church.
If you don’t yet believe in what Jesus has accomplished on your behalf to make you right with God, then you are GOING to church today. You’re welcome to attend this gathering as one who is GOING to church as long as you need to…our hope is that you will one day come to believe and become part of Jesus’ Church.
If you have already believe this Gospel of Jesus, then we’re calling you to stop GOING to church and join us in being equipped and sent to Be the Church today.”
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What is needed is something that cannot be explained in human terms. What is needed is something that is so striking and so signal that it will arrest the attention of the whole world. That is revival.
Now we of ourselves can never do anything like that. We can do a great deal, and we should do all we can. We can preach the truth, we can defend it, we can indulge in our apologetics, we can organize our campaigns, we can try to present a great front to the world. But you know, it does not impress the world. It leaves the world where it was. The need is for something which will be so overwhelming, so divine, so unusual that it will arrest the attention of the world … .
‘Authenticate thy word. Lord God, let it be known, let it be known beyond a doubt, that we are thy people. Shake us!’ I do not ask him to shake the building, but I ask him to shake us. I ask him to do something that is so amazing, so astounding, so divine, that the whole world shall be compelled to look on and say, ‘What is this?’ as they said on the day of Pentecost.”
Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Revival, pages 183-185
EVERYBODY ON THE FRONTLINE
Mark Greene tells the story of a church who started talking about everyone’s ‘frontline’. ‘Everyone had a frontline – a place, a context where they felt that God was calling them to minister, so everyone could be involved. The church leader, Paul Pease, says:
“A saying we frequently use here at Hook is ’surviving and thriving on the frontline (and the frontline is where we are most of the time).’ We are still totally convinced that the action is on our frontline, and we retreat twice a week behind the frontline for fellowship so as to encourage one another to get back out to the frontline once again to win people for Christ. I am really passionate about this and am convinced this is the purpose of the church and the best way to reach people with the glorious gospel.”
Mark Greene comments: “The team here at LICC now uses the word ‘frontline’ in all our teaching on mission. It’s a term that honours every context and binds people together in shared endeavour, even if that endeavour is pursued in different places.”
HT: Tim Chester
DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO PRAYER
A brother from Africa comments on the difference between the American church and the African church. Wow.
“…we pray until something happens. You pray until your prayer is finished.”
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HT: Bob Roberts
SOLITUDE>COMMUNITY>MINISTRY
Nouwen speaks of three disciplines from Luke 6:12-19.
He writes, “Jesus spent the night in solitude with God. In the morning, he gathered his apostles around him and formed community. In the afternoon, with his apostles, he went out and preached the Word and healed the sick. Notice the order-from solitude to community to ministry. The night is for solitude; the morning for community; the afternoon for ministry.
“So often in ministry, I have wanted to do it by myself. If it didn’t work, I went to others and said, “Please!” searching for a community to help me. If that didn’t work, maybe I’d start praying.
“But the order that Jesus teaches us is the reverse. It begins by being with God in solitude; then it creates a fellowship, a community of people with whom the mission is being lived; and finally this community goes out together to heal and to proclaim good news.
“I believe you can look at solitude, community, and ministry as three disciplines by which we create space for God. If we create space in which God can act and speak, something surprising will happen. You and I are called to these disciplines if we want to be disciples.”
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HT: Next Reformation
