How about this for an eclectic list of words: justice, mission, change, growth, heart, and evangelism? Now, let us take some Scripture and add it into the mix. “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1 NASB). Each of the words listed above represent a challenge to believers in Christ, while the verse above can be an encouragement to all those in Christ. Do we, as believers in Christ, need challenges in our faith? Do we, as believers in Christ, need encouragement as we grow in our faith? Do we, as believers in Christ, need to be on mission? Truly these are all rhetorical questions as the answers to all of them are a resounding “yes.” At least I hope that they were answered with a resounding affirmation of positivity.
I started out to write this blog by contemplating what is our definition of the church, outside of the fact that it is a group of called out people. Called out by our Lord. Did you ever look at the makeup of your church? I mean really looking at the people who gather with you at times of worship, at serving opportunities or anytime the church you attend gathers. Who are these people? I will make an unpopular statement in that most of us do not really know outside of the six or eight close friends that we may have in our church. Should our church resemble what we read in the Book of Revelation? “From every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues” (Revelation 7:9). I will go out on a limb and guess that many churches may look like that, but that our individual groups do not. The words in the list that I opened this blog also represent our churches. They contain individuals who need justice, individuals who work for justice, and individuals who are recipients of God’s justice. Our churches contain individuals on mission, off mission, and never been on mission. Our churches contain people dealing with change, those who have undergone change, and those seeking to change. The word “growth” represents a great difference as it is applied to people. Some growing, some stagnant, and some resistant. Churches are filled with different states of heart. A heart for missions, a heart for outreach, a heart that is broken. The word list ends with evangelism, and with that word we find consternation, action, and even confusion.
As you read the above paragraph you are saying, “wow is my church like that?” Tim Keller describes a church that is on mission for God as one that is “porous” (Serving a Movement, p. 54). If you have gotten this far in this blog, thank you for not giving up on me. If you have gotten this far, have you tried to define your church? I think that defining our church is hard for most. We tend to only know what we want to know. Do you believe that 90% of the serving in a church is done by 10% of the people? It is true. The numbers bear out time and time again as churches are studied. I do not despair those numbers because I have seen God use the 10% in in His Kingdom to do amazing things. Do not fret if you consider yourself out of the 10%. You took time to read this, and that says something about a desire for growth (yes, that is one of the words). I think if you made it this far you are willing to be on mission for and with God (yes, that is one of the words). We are all here together, part of His church, one of His people. You have gotten this far and have questions. Good, let us together seek answers. If you are at this point but do not yet understand that Jesus is your Savior, we need to talk. Reach out to me at the church.
Over the next three months we are going to journey in these blog postings together to move through the list I opened the blog with. God has not called us to sit still. Jesus did not love, die, and rise for us to sit still. Let us all take a journey on mission together.