Wednesday, July 02, 2003
Principles and a Prayer or a Person?
Last Tuesday, it hit me. The modern church has been offering the world the wrong thing! When you listen to most pulpits and to most evangelistic presentations, what we've been offering the world have been a few principles and then a prayer. Can that really change the world? Is the salvation of the world really about a few principles or "spiritual laws" and a prayer?
Don't get me wrong. I know that millions of people have been blessed with this offering from the modern church. Principles and a prayer have helped a lot of people. Some have even experienced God from time to time. I've been preaching principles and a prayer for 20 years now. But is that really what we have to offer the world? Is that the best that we can do?
I think we've missed it. I think we've been telling people a lot about God but we haven't really introduced them to God. What was it that enabled the early church to turn the world upside down? What made them dangerous and appealing at the same time? What did they offer to the world that they would be recognized as having been with Jesus? When was the last time the modern church turned a city upside down more so the world? When was the last time a local church was considered both dangerous and appealing? I don't remember the last time someone actually accused me of being with Jesus!
Seems to me that what the early church offered and what the modern church offers is totally different. If we were in business, we'd say that someone changed the product! The early church offered a Person. The modern church offers principles and a prayer. The early church spoke out of a living and dynamic experience of Christ. The modern church speaks out of an empty tomb but has no memory of touching his hands and his side. The early church knew where Christ was. The modern church can't give us directions to where He is now.
I know that this sounds like I'm ranting. I'm not that down on the modern church. I'm a child of the modern church. In fact, I've been a spokesman for the modern church. I've really preached my fill of principles and prayers. But I want something real. I want something alive.
We need to speak out of a living relationship and experience of Christ. We need to speak about Christ like he was our close friend (He can be!) and that we just had coffee with him this morning. We need to share Christ (not principles about Him) out of the richness of our encounters with him. And when we've spoken in such a way that people would want to meet him...bring them before Him. Don't just pray for them. Bring them before Him. Allow Christ to reveal himself to them.
We need to believe that He wants to reveal himself so much more than we think. When we bring someone to Him just as the early church did, he will not disappoint you. He will reveal himself. He will make himself known.
I think that's why he formed the ecclesia. Christ in us becomes Christ through us as we relate in community with one another. When 2 or 3 gather in his name, he is there in their midst. There is the mystical and manifest presence of Christ. I think we take the veil off of our eyes through worship and prayer. But then there is the incarnational presence of Christ as we manifest Christ through us. We become his hands and feet and eyes and ears and mouth and heart to each other.
If we're gonna be organic it needs to begin with a Person not just principles.
Don't get me wrong. I know that millions of people have been blessed with this offering from the modern church. Principles and a prayer have helped a lot of people. Some have even experienced God from time to time. I've been preaching principles and a prayer for 20 years now. But is that really what we have to offer the world? Is that the best that we can do?
I think we've missed it. I think we've been telling people a lot about God but we haven't really introduced them to God. What was it that enabled the early church to turn the world upside down? What made them dangerous and appealing at the same time? What did they offer to the world that they would be recognized as having been with Jesus? When was the last time the modern church turned a city upside down more so the world? When was the last time a local church was considered both dangerous and appealing? I don't remember the last time someone actually accused me of being with Jesus!
Seems to me that what the early church offered and what the modern church offers is totally different. If we were in business, we'd say that someone changed the product! The early church offered a Person. The modern church offers principles and a prayer. The early church spoke out of a living and dynamic experience of Christ. The modern church speaks out of an empty tomb but has no memory of touching his hands and his side. The early church knew where Christ was. The modern church can't give us directions to where He is now.
I know that this sounds like I'm ranting. I'm not that down on the modern church. I'm a child of the modern church. In fact, I've been a spokesman for the modern church. I've really preached my fill of principles and prayers. But I want something real. I want something alive.
We need to speak out of a living relationship and experience of Christ. We need to speak about Christ like he was our close friend (He can be!) and that we just had coffee with him this morning. We need to share Christ (not principles about Him) out of the richness of our encounters with him. And when we've spoken in such a way that people would want to meet him...bring them before Him. Don't just pray for them. Bring them before Him. Allow Christ to reveal himself to them.
We need to believe that He wants to reveal himself so much more than we think. When we bring someone to Him just as the early church did, he will not disappoint you. He will reveal himself. He will make himself known.
I think that's why he formed the ecclesia. Christ in us becomes Christ through us as we relate in community with one another. When 2 or 3 gather in his name, he is there in their midst. There is the mystical and manifest presence of Christ. I think we take the veil off of our eyes through worship and prayer. But then there is the incarnational presence of Christ as we manifest Christ through us. We become his hands and feet and eyes and ears and mouth and heart to each other.
If we're gonna be organic it needs to begin with a Person not just principles.
