Impressive site DK! You have an amazing way with words. You should definitely keep writing.
I did want to add my 2 cents in however. I think part of the battle for the church is it's image. In my opinion I don't think it has evolved with the times. It's still something your parents do, something "old" people do, something women do etc. It's not cutting edge, exciting, life altering, mind blowing. It's condemning, old, boring, tiring, same ole thing. All of those are blanket statements as not every church is like that. Just seems to be the image I get from talking to people at school.
Hope you are doing well!
Riggs
| Unfinished Thoughts |
| Written by david |
| Monday, 22 December 2008 22:21 |
|
During the American Revolution, a new type of warfare was introduced. Although not very popular by the high ranking generals, an ambush style of fighting proved to be more effective than the current “line of fire” technique. Rather than standing before your enemy with a long line of muskets aimed to kill, soldiers began to position themselves in trees, behind rocks and on the ground.
No longer would the enemy have a target 30 yards in front of them. No longer would the speed of loading your gun be so important to your survival. The element of surprise was now a variable in the art of war. This new style would revolutionize what war was to become. By the time of the Vietnam War, the style of creating a “line of fire” would be forever gone as trenches, bunkers, and ambushes now dominated with extreme effectiveness. I believe the church is standing on its own battlefield. She’s been there for almost two-thousand years. Hundreds, if not thousands, of battle techniques have been introduced, and some have had great success in bringing lost children of God into His Kingdom. Some strategies have permanently scarred the hearts of agnostics and other non-believers. I believe we stand on the battlefield during one of the most intense times in history. The Church has evolved quickly over the past forty-years and many people have been affected by the evolution. Post-modernity has made its way as a label for the current culture we live in. More often than not, the church has chosen to react to most culture changes…hoping to have some type of godly impact. This style of reactionism has failed and continues to fail. Disciples, by in large, are not being made. Whatever you choose to call our current and future culture…or even if you’re having difficulty accepting its existence…one historical fact comes without debate: change will happen. As a church, at such a critical time, we must decide how to encounter this change. I believe our preparation for battling today’s evil will directly affect the momentum of the Church’s influence on the community. The Church must own the calling that allows her to influence the current of culture rather than reacting to the waves on the shore. The hands and feet of our hearts should display calluses of constant purpose. The clergy are to guide by engrossing themselves in prayer and supplication, meditation on the Word, and devoted discipleship of God’s children. Rather than being overcome by the constant evolution of culture, we have opportunities to affect it like no other church generation in the past. Nailing the 95 Thesis on the door, forming the Holy Club, destroying segregation, listening to the seekers…the battlefield now awaits our energies to destroy Satan’s attacks. As we go, we must remember that culture isn’t just about black backdrops, stained-glass windows, confessionals, or artwork…it’s about loving God’s children as He has loved us. I believe the true barometer of effectiveness and success is how we have loved His people. Love affects people. Love fills people. Love disciples people. Love glorifies God. I’m concerned and encouraged about the battle before us. I see us (the young guys) exude more desire to rub shoulders with those who have been pastoring for years rather than look for grounding in knowledge of the Scriptures. The practical has taken a higher seat than the Biblical, and without a Scriptural foundation, the strategies will crumble with the constant onslaughts of Satan. Productive and effective discipleship must have Scripture as its base. I am also concerned about the value we place in our own abilities versus tapping the power of God. We put a lot of stock in who thinks progressively and what we’ve experienced. Have we lost the sense of total dependence on God? Our fathers and grandfathers went out alone which forced them to seek the face of God just for their mere sanity. Although I don’t condone solo-pastoring, I have to think we can learn from their obedience. Perhaps the churches of the future should begin with prayer before the vision comes…Biblical knowledge before the discipleship teams are formed. We must look for what our forefather did well, and at the same time, correct their errors through our actions in pastoring churches and developing mission fields. There is one last aspect of life of which I feel a concentrated look should be taken. My father is scared of heights, and the thought of climbing to the roof to clean his gutters literally makes his palms sweat. So, in response to this fear…he avoids high places. His fear keeps him from venturing too close to cliffs or high over-hangs. My point is that our fear of God has lessoned over the years as we look to Him as more of “all-knowing grandfather”. We now set up emotional and physical playgrounds next to the cliff of sin. Our fear of God is becoming a second thought rather than a driving factor to make decisions. I worry about our carelessness with physical and emotional stimuli. We’re an addicted people: eating too much, smoking, drinking, lusting, gambling…it goes on and on. Would an appropriate fear of God change the current way we live our individual, private lives? I think we all know who can answer these questions. Change is inevitable; however, we can help chart its course to influence the world for the glory of God. All are called to glorify God, but only a few are called to shepherd those whom He loves so much. Our challenge is to understand the weight of accepting the full-time call to ministry and learning to seek God in a personal life, as well as, continue shepherding His flock. Thoughts 1. Holiness…what is it? Although “works” don’t damn a person to hell nor do they provide the ticket into heaven…what weight do they carry? 2. Holiness…what will it take to recapture a sense of the holy? 3. What are the universal principles of knowing God that supercede faddish labels such as post-modern, Boomer, Busters, etc.? 4. What exactly does God want from us? We must know this answer before we develop a strategy of how to get there. 5. Variables that could affect the church: A. Prayer is the essential avenue of communication with the creator of our world. Prayer can be the process of tapping the power of God so that we don’t repeat the same errors of our forefathers. No strategy or program will match the strength and intimacy of prayer. On our faces, humbled before God, the Church must open its heart to God before culture will ever lend it ear to the Church. B. The pastors who are appointed by God’s hand to guide our churches must reconcile the calling before shepherding others to do the same. They must seek a life of holiness which centers on knowing, loving, and experiencing our Sovereign God. The clergy can guide the lay people who serve as board members, ushers, nursery workers, youth leaders, bulletin folders, and any other position of membership to a church. These lay people must cross the line of mediocrity and complacency into the realm of passion, commitment, and complete surrender to our Father in heaven. C. Holy Scripture which is the inerrant Word of God placed in our hands with more purpose than that of a rule book. These Scriptures are to never be compromised, changed, or misspoken. The purpose of our lives and the Church is clearly laid out, and it is these Words that provide a map as to what the Church should model. |
| Last Updated on Monday, 22 December 2008 22:26 |
Comments (1)
1
Wednesday, 24 December 2008 06:05
Riggs
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A little scary to think about when I don't even feel like a full grown adult at 39 years old LOL...but your are so right in regard to our children losing so much respect for the one's they love when they see something in them that is untrustworthy, our children must believe that at the end of the day when they fall asleep at night alone in their bed that we as parents TRULY TRULY love them. I have spoken to so many adult's who look back on their childhood and share they never felt loved by their parent's. I hope the love that my children feel from me will help them want to FORGIVE me when I fall and make errors before their eye's.