3 SPACES

Erwin McManus was the 1st speaker at Exponential today.

He talked about the different spaces we participate in as an influence for good and the gospel in our world. He referenced the Apostle Paul's trip to Athens in Acts 17 as a source.

Here's some notes:

SPACE #1: the safety and comfort space
"So he (Paul) reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks,..." (v.17)
- too often most Christians just stay in the safe space
- the space we rarely have influence
- too afraid to be active in other spaces outside the church
- we like ourselves so much and people like us so much that we tend to stay away from people who are different then us.
- why plant churches to provide more space for people who already belong and believe
- Mosaic has 60-70 different ethnic groups b/c they like people who are different; most churches have the same homogeneous mix b/c they don't like different people
- we should be the most effective communities for people who are not like us to feel like they belong

SPACE #2: the space where everyone else - real people - live
"...in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there." (v.17)
- this space is where the world actually is present
- you can very easily live in the 1st space without ever affecting the 2nd space
- too often when someone starts following Jesus the church leads them out of the 2nd space to 1st space
- we should remain in 2nd space, live their, mentor their, lead their, love their
- people are searching for people with the undeniable presence of Jesus in them

SPACE #3: where only some are invited
"Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus,..." (v.19)
- Paul was invited into a privileged group in that culture
- there are some spaces you can only be invited into
- credibility, relationship, authenticity are some elements that precede this invitation

MAIN IDEA:
- what spaces do we gravitate to?
- are we stuck in the safe, yet never influencing reality
- are we willing to risk our reputation in one space to be effective in another
- are we willing to be called heretics or "drunken and gluttons" so people in the real culture can hear about Jesus
- is our church community open to all people - from all religions, backgrounds, beliefs
- can atheists, Buddhists, scientologists, and others belong in your community before they believe?

WHAT SPACES DO YOU GRAVITATE TO THE MOST?
WHAT SPACES IS GOD CALLING YOU TO?