When the focus of the church starts looking outside rather than inside those who are not looking outside feel left behind because people aren't looking at them as much anymore.
I feel this is one of the major challenges at church t the moment. We are shifting missionally. We are becoming a church for the unsaved, and the safe, comfortable Christians are not getting what they want. They are no longer the focus of the church.
For the church to go forward we now have to disciple everyone about our mission. About Gods lifesaving mission. We need to take people with us. So, by doing this the people on the inside are the people who are getting people saved. The look of an inside person changes.
The problem the church faces is whether to stay with the comfortable safe Christians who don't do mission, or do we refocus our church on mission and create a new set of "inside" people? What are you going to do?
im reminded of Cat Booth, "To change the future we need to disturb the present."
Saturday, September 08, 2007
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5 comments:
This situation has stopped the church from growing in the Western World for many years. The need to be cared for can be satisfied so much more by caring for others and nurturing the newly saved. Unfortunately so many dont get this. The brave thing to do is to move forward and unfortunately some will need to be left behind through their own choice.
Hard becasue most of us like to please people and it doesnt make us happy when people dont like what we are doing even if it is saving people from going to hell.
Keep focused and dont be distracted by those who cant see the bigger picture.
I like the fact of seeing people grow closer to God.
When people are saved i like to let God use me to help them grow closer to God. But there arent many people who do.
Its sad how that can be the reason for people to leave as well
Good blog James!!! Love Sarah xoxoxox
There is a place for all. Those who are comfortable now were perhaps not so comfortable in the past and were glad to see new comers. Maybe it is because there has been a decline in new comers over the past few years, not caused by those who are there, but because of a materialistic world which made things look better in the comfort zone. I believe that done in the right way some of these folk could become involved and compassionate again if given the chance. A little patience is needed for them to re-ignite the passion that once was there to win the lost to Jesus. I would hate to think that some who have been faithful in their attendance over the years felt that they now have to leave and become lost to the Army because of a lack of tolerance by another generation. We all need to be in this together. There are many middle & upper class people who need the Lord and there needs to be people there in that age group to encourage them should they come to know Him. In any Church there should not be generational differences - we should all work for the betterment of each other, encouraging each other and building each other up in our faith walk with Jesus. "Help us to help each other, Lord" to quote a line from one of our songs. May God bless and inspire us all as we endeavour to bring the message of the love of Christ to a world that needs Him.
This is a good thought with supportive comments. Keep the passion on.
Yes the TSA is in crisis which means there are some crucial questions that need to be asked concerning our ideas about the Army's nature and purpose. How are we to give relevant expression and faithful embodiment to the gospel? Identity and mission are wrapped up in this question. Further, it is the mission of the Triune God that defines what our mission must be rather than the needs of some discernable group of potential recruits. We are called to be faithful to the mission of God as it defines who we are and what our God-given vocation is to be. Mission is the committed participation of God's people, at God's invitation and command, in God's mission action within the history of God's world for the redemption of God's creation. In other words our mission flows from and participates in the mission of God. Mission is not an activity of the church, rather it is the result of God's initiative and is rooted in God's purposes to restore His creation. In Mission God is the major protagonist - not us.
WJE
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