Thursday, November 21, 2013
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
What if..."church" looked like this?
http://vimeo.com/24570032
CLICK ON THE LINK ABOVE
So....Jesus is with the woman at the well...after some discussion and him offering her a water that would cause her to never thirst again..,Jesus brings up her marital status, pointing out that she has had 5 husbands and is currently living with her boyfriend. After her realizing that he knows everything about her...even her sin, what does she ask him next??? Basically, she asks "where should I go to church, where should I worship?" as if that is what will remove her sin....so often that is the typical response, that used to be my response. But instead of telling her where to go to church, his response is about worshipping in spirit and truth....it's not about where and when we worship its about WHOM we worship and HOW we worship!
John 4:19-24 “Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet. So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?” Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”
Jesus' response was that we don’t worship by going to a place, a building, a mountain, a location… but that we will worship EVERYWHERE we are, EVERYWHERE we go, and in EVERY place we set foot. Not because WE are there, but because as believers, God’s Spirit (the Holy Spirit) dwells IN us and HE is there…Christ isn’t a “part of our life”, He “IS our life”… and His truth is The Bible, which was inspired by the same Holy Spirit that is in us. (Colossians 3: 3-4)…so wherever we are, there He is IN us. 1 Corinthians 6:19 “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?” 1 Peter 2:5 "And you are living stones that God is builiding into His spiritual temple, what's more, you are His holy priests." We are the “church". When Jesus was resurrected and spent time with the disciples he told them to WAIT for the one he would send. He said WAIT…and when they were filled with the Holy Spirit on Pentecost (in the upper room), it’s then that they could GO…because they now had power from God, what he had planned all along.
There is nothing wrong with the physical building that we call church today, it is the house of the Lord and an amazing place for believers to gather, but God’s people are the church…going out into the world to gather with other believers in His movement, share the Good News everywhere, and reflect the magnitude of God’s love to everyone.
One last thought...what is the typical response to the question "do you believe in God?" Often the response is "Yes, I go to church" or "Yes, I need to get back to church".... as if going IN to the church is the fulfillment and purpose of our faith. Again there is nothing wrong with going to church, but if WE are the church then everywhere we go...that's church! Watch the attached video! What does this mean? Do we bring "unchurched" people IN so they become "churched" or is there more?
CLICK ON THE LINK ABOVE
So....Jesus is with the woman at the well...after some discussion and him offering her a water that would cause her to never thirst again..,Jesus brings up her marital status, pointing out that she has had 5 husbands and is currently living with her boyfriend. After her realizing that he knows everything about her...even her sin, what does she ask him next??? Basically, she asks "where should I go to church, where should I worship?" as if that is what will remove her sin....so often that is the typical response, that used to be my response. But instead of telling her where to go to church, his response is about worshipping in spirit and truth....it's not about where and when we worship its about WHOM we worship and HOW we worship!
John 4:19-24 “Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet. So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?” Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”
Jesus' response was that we don’t worship by going to a place, a building, a mountain, a location… but that we will worship EVERYWHERE we are, EVERYWHERE we go, and in EVERY place we set foot. Not because WE are there, but because as believers, God’s Spirit (the Holy Spirit) dwells IN us and HE is there…Christ isn’t a “part of our life”, He “IS our life”… and His truth is The Bible, which was inspired by the same Holy Spirit that is in us. (Colossians 3: 3-4)…so wherever we are, there He is IN us. 1 Corinthians 6:19 “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?” 1 Peter 2:5 "And you are living stones that God is builiding into His spiritual temple, what's more, you are His holy priests." We are the “church". When Jesus was resurrected and spent time with the disciples he told them to WAIT for the one he would send. He said WAIT…and when they were filled with the Holy Spirit on Pentecost (in the upper room), it’s then that they could GO…because they now had power from God, what he had planned all along.
There is nothing wrong with the physical building that we call church today, it is the house of the Lord and an amazing place for believers to gather, but God’s people are the church…going out into the world to gather with other believers in His movement, share the Good News everywhere, and reflect the magnitude of God’s love to everyone.
One last thought...what is the typical response to the question "do you believe in God?" Often the response is "Yes, I go to church" or "Yes, I need to get back to church".... as if going IN to the church is the fulfillment and purpose of our faith. Again there is nothing wrong with going to church, but if WE are the church then everywhere we go...that's church! Watch the attached video! What does this mean? Do we bring "unchurched" people IN so they become "churched" or is there more?
Saturday, October 12, 2013
The Spirit Gives Life...
2 Corinthians 3:1 “This “letter” is written not with pen & ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts. We are confident of all of this because of our great trust in God through Christ. It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life.”
The TRINITY represents God’s perfect unity… God loves His people, who are in relationship with Him because of Jesus Christ being IN us, He guides by the power of the Holy Spirit, who inspired all scripture and truth for believers. For all parts of the perfect Trinity that God has provided, we are eternally grateful and moved to obedience and action for His Kingdom. God has given believers His Holy Spirit, which gives power.
As Stephen so eloquently put it in some of his last words in his discourse before he was stoned to death by religious leaders (Acts 7) “You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you!”
Peace be with you...
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