It’s About Jesus!
This past week I’ve read three books by friends who sent them in advance for me to read and interact with. They are going to be incredible books. Mark Galli, a traveling buddy, has one coming “A Great and Terrible Love: A Spiritual Journey into the Attributes of God” - it’s fantastic. One is by my good friend Alan Hirsch called ReJesus. The other is on Organic Leadership by long time friend Neil Cole. I gave them all 10’s.
But here’s what I’m excited about - enough talk and writing about church - Jesus is the answer not just for the world - but for the Church - Today!!!!!! The greatest ministries and stories in the world today are not about “church growth” or “ministry” or even “church planting” (Heresy!) for that matter - but are about Jesus. We are talking about everything but Him. We are talking about him, around him, doing work in his name - but I’m convinced know him or recognize him personally very little.
I hear about lots of research projects, and information gathering - but little of personal worship, prayer meetings, and revelation that God is giving people beyond nuts and bolts of “church.”
We’ve got to get back to Jesus. Not long ago a pastor came to see me wanting to know about T-Life and how we make disciples. He had been to a conference of a large church that admitted though they’d grown by thousands they didn’t make disciples and their church wasn’t spiritually healthy. So, they came up with a new program to make disciples after their research project and were already marketing it - while they were trying to implement it in their own church.
He asked me what I thought - he was going to use their new process. I asked him, “They admitted what they had done didn’t work?” “Absolutely!” he responded. “So based on that have they made disciples?” I asked. “Not to this point,” he said. “And, you are going to use their stuff when it hasn’t been proven yet?”
I am convinced if we prayed and worshipped daily encountering the living Jesus - just half as much as we read books, attend conferences, and study other churches - we would see a movement of God such as we have never seen and the church would be awakened once again. Everything that I’ve ever been apart of that was significant and really mattered was born out of prayer and worship and revelation that God gave in reflection and mediation.
What’s Jesus saying to you today?
Blog Categories
Search Glocalnet
Support
Partners
Comments
Sep 8, 2008 at 11:28 AM
Refreshing thought Bob, especially in our day of church planting “models”. While we can see that Paul made some “strategic” moves in the book of Acts, his emphasis was always on Christ and him crucified. Thanks for the call to prayer.
I’ve not read anything from Alan Hirsch yet, but did hear him speak at the National New Church Conference in Orlando last April. Good stuff
Sep 8, 2008 at 12:02 PM
Hirsch is incredible - read The Forgotten Ways
Sep 8, 2008 at 01:21 PM
Amen. Everyone is talking, writing, listening (to each other), reading, speaking, etc. A lot of theory is being discussed, but very little is being modeled in terms of personal communion with Christ, and intimate community with one another. I HEAR a lot about "community", and discipleship, but see very few concrete examples of people "denying themselves, taking up their crosses, following Jesus", and "looking not only at your own interests, but the interests of others". I believe it's all with good intent, but good intent only gets us so far. (We've learned that the hard way over the past 50-100 years) However, i believe God is doing something BIG, and preparing His Bride for something fresh, new, and revolutionary. Bob, you are right, and have told me this for YEARS: I MUST stay connected with Christ in my personal life on a DEEP and intimate level. Again, no leader out there would disagree with that, but how many actually place high priority on that not only with words but ACTIONS? Thanks for constatntly reminding me of that important principle.
Sep 8, 2008 at 03:45 PM
Bob, as a 44-year-old about to pass my 40th "birthday" as a Christian, I'm struggling with really knowing God. My Dad asked me a couple months ago what I thought God thinks of me. After a few moments of pondering, I realized that the one word standing out in my mind is "disappointed." I'm sure part of that comes simply from the realization of how many times I have let down my wife (and others) in ways big and small. But as I've continued to think about my dad's question and my response, I just can't seem to shake the feeling that, in spite of my very real, very strong, very heartfelt desire to serve God and glorify him, I nonetheless fail frequently, and each time I do, I feel God's haunting look of disappointment. (What's even more concerning is that I'm afraid I'm giving my 13-year-old son reason to feel the same from me. At least I have some cognitive theological recognition that my view of God is skewed; I'm not sure my son does yet.) As much as I am enjoying seminary, I am at the same time struggling to allow God to truly transform me - my actions as well as my view of Him.
It is a colossal struggle that Paul captured well in Romans 7. In less than a month I'll be going to Liberia, with the conviction (from others who know the country far better than me) that it is a land in need of transformation. But how can I bring that message when I am so desperate for the same?
Leave a Reply