Making a difference…
Several years ago, I ran across a blog called “A Future and a Hope.” (Actually, at that time it was called “Pure Christianity.”) I haven’t linked to the site lately, but a recent post called “We are not ‘BIG,’ but we are great” caught my attention.
More than many other posts that I’ve read (or written) recently, this one really encapsulates and describes what I’m beginning to understand (and live) concerning the church.
This is part of the post:
Firstly, a little history. Johnny & I moved to Kenya to make a difference. After two years of preaching, teaching, and trying to make a difference in the typical missionary fashion, we realized that it wasn’t working. We knew we needed to just do it and be an example ourselves. We had to be willing to walk the talk and so we took in orphans into our personal home expanding our family from just the five of us at that time to sixteen, and ultimately, I believe, we are changing the face of how orphan care should be done.
Today, the church focuses so much on doing church-stuff at church-times in church-places with church-people… But, there’s so much more to following Jesus Christ.
Kate’s post (and please take a few minutes to read the whole post) reminds me so much of what I read in Scripture concerning how believers are to interact with the world around them. (For one example, read Titus 2 again.)
Think seriously for a moment about this statement: “We knew we needed to just do it and be an example ourselves.” The church would be so much different if every follower of Jesus Christ understood that this was their calling… to live the gospel of Jesus Christ at all times in every places before every person who enters their life.
“the church focuses so much on doing church-stuff at church-times in church-places with church-people.”
Yep. The church and its career clergy would better serve the Kingdom by, as Ephesians 4 states, concentrating on training and equipping households, especially dads, to do “church” stuff in their homes, their neighborhoods, at work and in their communities. To be Kingdom-bringers and shalom-sharers. But then that raises questions about the need for buildings and programs and salaried professionals.
This is the same line I resonated with!
“the church focuses so much on doing church-stuff at church-times in church-places with church-people.”
We have multiple generations from Boomers to Millenials who cannot even conceive of valuing ‘just’ doing life! If it’s not a ‘church-stuff, time, place’ we have no way to ‘measure’ ourselves as Christ followers. (yes, measuring ourselves is not desirable…)
If only we could just do the math! 20 million Christians living life and impacting 1-5 others. Impacting up to 100 million with genuine Christian love. It sure paints a much different picture than 200 churchians ‘hoping’ for a bit of church growth of even 5% (20 more bodies) in pew-sitters and ‘hoping’ that God would just ‘do’ something with and for them….
I don’t have to go start a church or do some church thing to hear ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant’. I just have to shine the light of Jesus on my hill. Kudos to Kate for showing us how it’s done. Giving her life for others, just like the Master.
It’s what I’ve long believed was what we need to do more of and less of the organized and sanctioned stuff.
“20 million Christians living life and impacting 1-5 others. Impacting up to 100 million with genuine Christian love.”
Wonderful thought. Years ago, someone shared with me that Bill Bright used to ask the question, if every Christian lived like you, would the world be reached with the Gospel? Since I stopped doing church stuff and concentrating on being a light within my sphere, I feel I am closer than ever to being able to answer, “Yes!” especially when we consider the muliplicative aspects.
I love what Katie is doing.
Dan and Heartspeak,
Thanks for adding some great comments to my post. I didn’t add much to Kate’s post because I found it so encouraging on it’s own.
-Alan
I’m so excited and inspired by what Kate and her family are doing! That’s the kingdom at work! Thank you for sharing this great post.
– Kathleen
Hmmmm, and I can’t even do the math correctly. Maybe I was just being optimistic…..? ( not to mention ‘uncovered’ for all time on the ole interwebs!)
Hey Alan,
Thanks so much for sharing Kate’s and your own thoughts on the church!
Resonates so much with our own (my wife and I and those with which we gather in homes).
I’ve often said that “church” or ekklesia or assembling of believers is www church (It takes place whenever, where ever and with whom ever we encounter as believers!) It is in the everyday encounters of fellowship with the Lord’s dear people (other members of Christ’s Body) that all the “one anothering commands of scripture” are to be practiced and therefore those who don’t yet know our Saviour ought to be able to see how we love one another.
And that is the standard (not our “doctrinal distinctives”) by which the Lord Jesus gives the unsaved the right to judge and evaluate whether we truly are His disciples! (John 13:34,35)
Your brother,
Bruce Woodford
Bruce,
I love this statement: “…all the ‘one anothering commands of scripture’ are to be practiced and therefore those who don’t yet know our Saviour ought to be able to see how we love one another.” That’s a beautiful picture of the church and our witness of Jesus Christ to the world.
-Alan
An old Silent/Boomer speaking here. There are some of us out here doing just that Heartspeak. And we are doing it along with some Millenials and even some Xer’s…and raising an enthusiastic younger un-named yet generation of believers who are not programmed to adhere to institutional church strategies, but who can also flow between the institutional church folks and the house churchers comfortably. At this point in my life…70 yrs. it is an incredible joy to be able to experience this and it has renewed my thrill in the wonder of the Gospel and the indwelling Christ in our lives. Makes it so real, when the bloom of church life has faded and one is little more than just plain tired of all the efforts, projects, praying and programs to bring people in or even at least to the Lord. To be able to know you are in the will of God just being, being old even, watching the young, loving them through their ups and downs, helping where you can…all in the grace of God. One of the themes of our last meeting, which seemed to come out of our singing and reading and sharing, was how our job is to tell the story of His Grace through living our life, through every word and deed, doing all unto Him…dishes, feeding the animals, changing a diaper, whatever.