Genuine Community
I confess...I'm in love with my husband! It's not just because he is so handsome (because he is), it's not because he sweeps me off my feet (because he has done that on occasion), but because he is a man of God.
This past week was difficult with Jim being gone to Super Summer. This isn't the first time he's been gone and it won't be the last. I generally experience these emotions but it was more difficult this time. I felt as if my left arm had been cut off. It certainly has a lot to do with the fact that we have four children, a business to run, ministry to do and a full-time job to boot. But I think more than anything it is because God is dealing with me in a mighty way.
On the way back from Abilene where I took the youth, Jim's dad and I had a good conversation about our church. I know our church has a long history (some good, some bad) in our community but even after all hardships we're still around. I believe there is a reason for this. I believe we have a purpose to serve in the community BUT that we are not fulfilling it because we haven't gathered lately as a body to determine what God's purpose is for our church today, tomorrow and in the near future. There are Sundays where I feel as if we are merely going through the motions.
Time and again we have experienced growth only to find that we fall back to our same pattern of going through the motions. I confess...it's hard to maintain growth. It's easier to bump along because we are so busy with other parts of our lives.
Last night I was trying to finalize my lesson for Sunday School and I just couldn't make it come together. I had such a heavy heart that I didn't believe I would be of any use to God today. So Jim invited me and the youth to be a part of his class this morning. They are going through the book of Acts, which as you know is the story of the early church.
I don't believe it is coincidence that God had Jim choose that material or that I am reading everything I can get my hands on that talks about the church's purpose. So this morning we joined them and I am so glad I did.
Jim started with a recap of the previous three lessons (mind you these three lessons have taken the last two months to get through because there is so much to this study). He reminded us of what makes up genuine community in the church:
1) Learning of Christ—studying the life of Christ, especially through studying Scripture and interpreting it by Christ
2) Loving one another—growing in relationships based on vulnerability, honesty, authenticity, and mutual humility that move beyond individualism to relational faith
3) Worshiping God—focusing on the sacrificial life and teachings of Jesus Christ and his discipline of prayer as dialogue with God about God’s desire and vision for the church and the world
4) Including new believers—extending warm hospitality that embraces diversity and assimilates new people into the life of the faith
Through our discussion and reading Acts 3 - 5, we learned that God used one event (the healing of the lame man) to bring about a chain reaction that led to more people coming to know Christ. Yesterday we experienced an event that was a first for our church - a coupon class. We talked about this class as God using us to be His hands and feet. Teaching people skills to help them if they are struggling financially. I firmly believe that God is dealing with me and others in our church to move us to re-evaluate our community of faith.
We want to have genuine community but if given a grade probably fall short in the inclusion of new believers. We discussed that inclusion of new believers assumes that we are being missional and that there are people coming to Christ for the first time. We must be intentional in our mission efforts. This is lacking in my own life and I see that it is in the life our our community.
This past week was difficult with Jim being gone to Super Summer. This isn't the first time he's been gone and it won't be the last. I generally experience these emotions but it was more difficult this time. I felt as if my left arm had been cut off. It certainly has a lot to do with the fact that we have four children, a business to run, ministry to do and a full-time job to boot. But I think more than anything it is because God is dealing with me in a mighty way.
On the way back from Abilene where I took the youth, Jim's dad and I had a good conversation about our church. I know our church has a long history (some good, some bad) in our community but even after all hardships we're still around. I believe there is a reason for this. I believe we have a purpose to serve in the community BUT that we are not fulfilling it because we haven't gathered lately as a body to determine what God's purpose is for our church today, tomorrow and in the near future. There are Sundays where I feel as if we are merely going through the motions.
Time and again we have experienced growth only to find that we fall back to our same pattern of going through the motions. I confess...it's hard to maintain growth. It's easier to bump along because we are so busy with other parts of our lives.
Last night I was trying to finalize my lesson for Sunday School and I just couldn't make it come together. I had such a heavy heart that I didn't believe I would be of any use to God today. So Jim invited me and the youth to be a part of his class this morning. They are going through the book of Acts, which as you know is the story of the early church.
I don't believe it is coincidence that God had Jim choose that material or that I am reading everything I can get my hands on that talks about the church's purpose. So this morning we joined them and I am so glad I did.
Jim started with a recap of the previous three lessons (mind you these three lessons have taken the last two months to get through because there is so much to this study). He reminded us of what makes up genuine community in the church:
1) Learning of Christ—studying the life of Christ, especially through studying Scripture and interpreting it by Christ
2) Loving one another—growing in relationships based on vulnerability, honesty, authenticity, and mutual humility that move beyond individualism to relational faith
3) Worshiping God—focusing on the sacrificial life and teachings of Jesus Christ and his discipline of prayer as dialogue with God about God’s desire and vision for the church and the world
4) Including new believers—extending warm hospitality that embraces diversity and assimilates new people into the life of the faith
Through our discussion and reading Acts 3 - 5, we learned that God used one event (the healing of the lame man) to bring about a chain reaction that led to more people coming to know Christ. Yesterday we experienced an event that was a first for our church - a coupon class. We talked about this class as God using us to be His hands and feet. Teaching people skills to help them if they are struggling financially. I firmly believe that God is dealing with me and others in our church to move us to re-evaluate our community of faith.
We want to have genuine community but if given a grade probably fall short in the inclusion of new believers. We discussed that inclusion of new believers assumes that we are being missional and that there are people coming to Christ for the first time. We must be intentional in our mission efforts. This is lacking in my own life and I see that it is in the life our our community.
We ended the class with what God has laid on our hearts - a new community of faith emerging from what once was Pleasantview Baptist Church. I covet your prayers as we seek God's will for our community of faith. It's more than changing our name and coming up with a "purpose" statement. It's a total commitment to what God has called us to as the community of faith in Crowley.
To close...I love my husband because God is working in him to and I know that whatever challenges we face, whatever obstacles may come our way, he is leading us in finding God's will for our family as well as our community of faith. He desires genuine community and watching him teach about it makes me love him all that much more!
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