Showing posts with label under construction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label under construction. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
a missional person, group, or church?
What do you think about McKnight's short description of 'missional'?
This isn't the whole story, but part of what it means to be God's living and local presence in our world.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Sent Out Benediction
Here's a benediction for my understanding of a sent out community I wrote for the final part of Under Construction:
(it was included in my summary, but so far at the end I wanted to highlight it)
Now, go into the world in peace, have courage;
include the excluded, strengthen the weak, help the suffering.
United in community, be God's living and local presence, at all times, in all places.
(it was included in my summary, but so far at the end I wanted to highlight it)
Now, go into the world in peace, have courage;
include the excluded, strengthen the weak, help the suffering.
United in community, be God's living and local presence, at all times, in all places.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
The U-Factor (under construction #5)
We've come to the end of our Under Construction series. Looking through 1 Peter and the culture of his readers we've understood a few things:
1. God's design for his church is to be his living and local presence in any and every culture throughout history
2. The church becomes the Sign of God's presence, the Sign-post of his future, and the Signature of his doing
3. The church is a community that lives among a culture, and by default rubs shoulder with the culture through relationships and meeting needs
4. As a result, God's church can grow in any culture it's planted in, though it might look different and vary in shape and size.
As we read some of Peter's final words to his churches spread out in these 1st century urban centers we found the glue that keeps this community together in the context of their difficult (marginalized, oppressed, persecuted, probably poorer than the mainstream) culture :
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins (1 Pet. 4:8, cf. 1:22)
Think of a support beam for a house. The beam creates strength and support for the structure and the rest of the house. It keeps the wall, floors, and roof from slowly caving in.
Peter essentially calls this community to a deeply, committed and supportive love that requires effort, especially in the context they face daily. He calls them to become a support beam for each other, God's mission, and their role as God's living and local presence in their culture.
We highlighted 4 ways Christ followers are like support beams:
FOCUS: be clear minded, self-controlled... prepare your minds for action (4:7, 1:13)
Focus is a challenge in any culture where God's people are sent into. With all the stresses of life + the marginalization due to following Jesus against the main stream, focus is indispensable. Be focused on God, focused on the teachings of Jesus, focused on spiritual formation, focused on the cause of Jesus in the world, focused on your character among your culture.
PRAYER (4:7):
We admitted that we don't value prayer much; I can easily identify a few values in our church community: creativity, people, relationships, service... but honestly, prayer seems to take a lesser place. It's something we need to work on especially in a culture where mission is opposed on so many levels.
LOVE:
The kind of spiritual community Peter envisions is one of loving support, nurture, embrace, growth and challenge.
Covering a multitude of sins can be seen as being people with tough skin and soft hearts. A community that is NOT EASILY offended while EASILY forgiving one another. Imagine every relationship pursued this.
SERVICE:
Serving one another through words and actions is where Peter challenges next. We described it as (1) being a community that speaks into each other's lives (encouragement, challenge, comfort, direction) - this would mean confident and loving enough to speak... and humble and honest enough to listen. Then (2) serving one another in practical ways (care, support, needs, etc).
In some ways, Peter is hinting that a true spiritual house needs to be as loving to insiders as it is to outsiders. Often we can get heroic and serve the needs of the poor and marginalized, speak truth in some other person's life, be forgiving of a co-worker's wrong, or even the debt of a whole country... but then come into the church, reserving love for the world while giving less to each other. Imagine feeding the poor with homemade soup while giving your son frozen dinner - just doesn't make sense.
Closing thoughts:
The church is being built into a spiritual house, God's holy people, designed to be his living and local presence in the culture it is planted in (via any method or circumstance). It's strength will obviously be it's foundation - Jesus, the Living/Cornerstone Stone - but it's support beam is the people. We're not an association of people - like a bowling club - we're people in community. And community, even a community on mission, takes effort to build and remain united - loving each other deeply. (2:1-12, 4:8-11)
Jesus prayed for us (the church through history) that we'd be one as he and the Father were one... so that the world would believe that Jesus was sent by God. (John 17:20-23).
yoUnity: because unity within community requires you!
Our closing benediction this past Sunday and for the series:
Now, go into the world in peace, have courage;
include the excluded, strengthen the weak, help the suffering.
United in community,
be God's living and local presence, at all times, in all places.
Reflection:
Are you a person with tough skin? What easily offends you? What's the reason for it? How can you change in this area?
Are you a person with a soft heart? Do you struggle with forgiveness? If so, why?
Describe a community with tough skin and soft hearts.
Would you say you contribute to the support beam in your local church? If not, why?
How else can you contribute to the support beam of your local church?
1. God's design for his church is to be his living and local presence in any and every culture throughout history
2. The church becomes the Sign of God's presence, the Sign-post of his future, and the Signature of his doing
3. The church is a community that lives among a culture, and by default rubs shoulder with the culture through relationships and meeting needs
4. As a result, God's church can grow in any culture it's planted in, though it might look different and vary in shape and size.
As we read some of Peter's final words to his churches spread out in these 1st century urban centers we found the glue that keeps this community together in the context of their difficult (marginalized, oppressed, persecuted, probably poorer than the mainstream) culture :
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins (1 Pet. 4:8, cf. 1:22)
Think of a support beam for a house. The beam creates strength and support for the structure and the rest of the house. It keeps the wall, floors, and roof from slowly caving in.
Peter essentially calls this community to a deeply, committed and supportive love that requires effort, especially in the context they face daily. He calls them to become a support beam for each other, God's mission, and their role as God's living and local presence in their culture.
We highlighted 4 ways Christ followers are like support beams:
FOCUS: be clear minded, self-controlled... prepare your minds for action (4:7, 1:13)
Focus is a challenge in any culture where God's people are sent into. With all the stresses of life + the marginalization due to following Jesus against the main stream, focus is indispensable. Be focused on God, focused on the teachings of Jesus, focused on spiritual formation, focused on the cause of Jesus in the world, focused on your character among your culture.
PRAYER (4:7):
We admitted that we don't value prayer much; I can easily identify a few values in our church community: creativity, people, relationships, service... but honestly, prayer seems to take a lesser place. It's something we need to work on especially in a culture where mission is opposed on so many levels.
LOVE:
The kind of spiritual community Peter envisions is one of loving support, nurture, embrace, growth and challenge.
Covering a multitude of sins can be seen as being people with tough skin and soft hearts. A community that is NOT EASILY offended while EASILY forgiving one another. Imagine every relationship pursued this.
SERVICE:
Serving one another through words and actions is where Peter challenges next. We described it as (1) being a community that speaks into each other's lives (encouragement, challenge, comfort, direction) - this would mean confident and loving enough to speak... and humble and honest enough to listen. Then (2) serving one another in practical ways (care, support, needs, etc).
In some ways, Peter is hinting that a true spiritual house needs to be as loving to insiders as it is to outsiders. Often we can get heroic and serve the needs of the poor and marginalized, speak truth in some other person's life, be forgiving of a co-worker's wrong, or even the debt of a whole country... but then come into the church, reserving love for the world while giving less to each other. Imagine feeding the poor with homemade soup while giving your son frozen dinner - just doesn't make sense.
Closing thoughts:
The church is being built into a spiritual house, God's holy people, designed to be his living and local presence in the culture it is planted in (via any method or circumstance). It's strength will obviously be it's foundation - Jesus, the Living/Cornerstone Stone - but it's support beam is the people. We're not an association of people - like a bowling club - we're people in community. And community, even a community on mission, takes effort to build and remain united - loving each other deeply. (2:1-12, 4:8-11)
Jesus prayed for us (the church through history) that we'd be one as he and the Father were one... so that the world would believe that Jesus was sent by God. (John 17:20-23).
yoUnity: because unity within community requires you!
Our closing benediction this past Sunday and for the series:
Now, go into the world in peace, have courage;
include the excluded, strengthen the weak, help the suffering.
United in community,
be God's living and local presence, at all times, in all places.
Reflection:
Are you a person with tough skin? What easily offends you? What's the reason for it? How can you change in this area?
Are you a person with a soft heart? Do you struggle with forgiveness? If so, why?
Describe a community with tough skin and soft hearts.
Would you say you contribute to the support beam in your local church? If not, why?
How else can you contribute to the support beam of your local church?
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
making room (under construction #4)
Taking a deeper look into the demographics of Peter's readers (1 Peter) we understood that not only Christ followers, but possibly a chunk of the culture were part of this demographic that was viewed as scattered, strangers, and aliens - displaced, lacking resources, marginalized. Lots of scholars agree that many in and outside the church felt a sense of homelessness. Yet Peter challenges this 1st Century church to offer hospitality to one another without grumbling (1 Peter 4:9, NLT, MSG)
CRAZY: imagine living in an uphill battle daily, and then your pastor/leader challenges you to open up your home... like you don't have other things to worry about.
This wasn't new. The new testament informs us that this was the ethos of the early church. Jesus included the marginalized at this table; Luke tells us the 1st Christ followers pursued equality by selling possessions to meet each others needs and often ate in each other's homes; Paul reminds the Roman church to be eager to practice hospitality (Rom 12:13).
Then we have history that tells us the Roman Empire was embarrassed at how the Christians advanced through their loving service to strangers, their assistance with burying the dead, and their feeding of the poor in and outside the church.
The church had a practice of MAKING ROOM FOR ONE MORE.
Has much changed today? People still long to connect and feel they belong somewhere.
- 7/10 people do not know their neighbors
- Harvard Medical Professor (Jacqluine Olds) says we're in a Loneliness Epidemic
- George Gallup believes that Americans are among the loneliest people in the world (sorry for using American research, but I'm sure it applies to us)
Yet... the development of meaningful relationships where every member carries a significant sense of belonging is essential to what it means to be the church (Randy Frazee, quoted here)
God's aim in human history is the creation of an inclusive community of loving persons, with himself included as its primary sustainer (Dallas Willard, quoted here)
And so... The biggest challenge for the church at the opening of the 21st century is to develop a solution to the discontinuity and fragmentation of the modern lifestyle (Lyle Schaller, quoted here)
I can't see a more practical way to live as a missional community - God's living and local presence - then in times when people's disconnect is greater.
BUT: Where do you start? How do you build relationships with people around you? (especially when it doesn't come easy)
BECOME PRESENT by becoming...
1. visible - if people don't see you they will never get to know you
The lost art of the Front Porch needs a come back. A place where you can talk but not feel personal or intimate... a place where you can be introduced without staying long. By creating front porches - space for public and social encounters - in front of your house, condo complex, or apartment block, at the gym, office cafeteria, cafe's or community centers - we create space for people to come closer without feeling awkward. It's a good start.
2. available for people in creative ways
- offer to help out with a home project or a move
- when you have some fresh coffee brewing invite your neighbor to enjoy it with you
3. vulnerable by asking people for help when you're in need (I'll write about his in a later post)
- you'd be surprized at how good this makes people feel and the conversations that can start
4. making room for spontaneous encounters
- when your schedule is too full, you might be missing moments in your environments to include people
FINALLY: make the choice. Making room for one more always involves a choice.
- a Friday evening to invite someone new over for dinner
- a phone call inviting someone out with your exisitng circle of friends
- eating lunch in the lunch room, not your desk
- sitting on your front porch instead of your back porch
- walking across the street while your neighbor's cleaning the yard
- attending the community BBQ in your neighborhood
- taking walks in your community more often
- jumping on opportunities when people start a conversation (this can happen anywhere)
If we're going to become the kind of living and local community that God has designed us to be (see earlier posts), then building relationships are essential. And I believe it can be as simple as... making room for one more.
CRAZY: imagine living in an uphill battle daily, and then your pastor/leader challenges you to open up your home... like you don't have other things to worry about.
This wasn't new. The new testament informs us that this was the ethos of the early church. Jesus included the marginalized at this table; Luke tells us the 1st Christ followers pursued equality by selling possessions to meet each others needs and often ate in each other's homes; Paul reminds the Roman church to be eager to practice hospitality (Rom 12:13).
Then we have history that tells us the Roman Empire was embarrassed at how the Christians advanced through their loving service to strangers, their assistance with burying the dead, and their feeding of the poor in and outside the church.
The church had a practice of MAKING ROOM FOR ONE MORE.
Has much changed today? People still long to connect and feel they belong somewhere.
- 7/10 people do not know their neighbors
- Harvard Medical Professor (Jacqluine Olds) says we're in a Loneliness Epidemic
- George Gallup believes that Americans are among the loneliest people in the world (sorry for using American research, but I'm sure it applies to us)
Yet... the development of meaningful relationships where every member carries a significant sense of belonging is essential to what it means to be the church (Randy Frazee, quoted here)
God's aim in human history is the creation of an inclusive community of loving persons, with himself included as its primary sustainer (Dallas Willard, quoted here)
And so... The biggest challenge for the church at the opening of the 21st century is to develop a solution to the discontinuity and fragmentation of the modern lifestyle (Lyle Schaller, quoted here)
I can't see a more practical way to live as a missional community - God's living and local presence - then in times when people's disconnect is greater.
BUT: Where do you start? How do you build relationships with people around you? (especially when it doesn't come easy)
BECOME PRESENT by becoming...
1. visible - if people don't see you they will never get to know you
The lost art of the Front Porch needs a come back. A place where you can talk but not feel personal or intimate... a place where you can be introduced without staying long. By creating front porches - space for public and social encounters - in front of your house, condo complex, or apartment block, at the gym, office cafeteria, cafe's or community centers - we create space for people to come closer without feeling awkward. It's a good start.
2. available for people in creative ways
- offer to help out with a home project or a move
- when you have some fresh coffee brewing invite your neighbor to enjoy it with you
3. vulnerable by asking people for help when you're in need (I'll write about his in a later post)
- you'd be surprized at how good this makes people feel and the conversations that can start
4. making room for spontaneous encounters
- when your schedule is too full, you might be missing moments in your environments to include people
FINALLY: make the choice. Making room for one more always involves a choice.
- a Friday evening to invite someone new over for dinner
- a phone call inviting someone out with your exisitng circle of friends
- eating lunch in the lunch room, not your desk
- sitting on your front porch instead of your back porch
- walking across the street while your neighbor's cleaning the yard
- attending the community BBQ in your neighborhood
- taking walks in your community more often
- jumping on opportunities when people start a conversation (this can happen anywhere)
If we're going to become the kind of living and local community that God has designed us to be (see earlier posts), then building relationships are essential. And I believe it can be as simple as... making room for one more.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
under construction (#3): home base
Our construction project continued this week with defining even clearer what it means to be God’s living and local presence in our culture.
Who is reading his letter?
Christ followers from 5 major urban centers in
But Peter writes to God’s elect. I.E. even though you’re marginalized you’re accepted by God. Even though you’re persecuted, you’re suffering for good. Even though you find obstacles moving ahead in your culture, you are valued in God’s community (perhaps even economy).
In this place, to these people, Peter says: LIVE AMONG THEM, it’s your home base
Here echo Jesus’ prayer and commission for his disciples throughout history: as the Father sent me, I am sending you. (John 20:21, cf 17:18).
God designed the church (spiritual house) to be a SENT COMMUNITY, a missional community. To live as God’s living and local presence among the culture they find themselves in. Peter never tells them to run, escape, tune into Christian radio… but to LIVE… among… the pagans (their culture). To make their community/culture home base.
What does this look like?
SIGN: the church is a sign of God’s presence in any culture it exists in.
The church, like Jesus - Whoever has seen me has seen the Father (Jn. 14:9)
“…so too has God designed it that when people have seen God’s people, they have in a real sense caught a view of God.”
“We live in a covenant community, a distinctive community spawned by God’s reign to show – demonstrate – it’s tangible character in human, social form”
(George Hunsberger, Missional Church)
SIGN-POST: the church’s actions are a sign-post of God’s future.
Jesus’ actions, miracles, and compassion all pointed to God’s future reign.
The way we live, how we serve our world, our values and actions all point to future God’s reign.
When the world sees us live among them they should be getting a snapshot of the God‘s future.
“Whatever our responses may be, we bring wholeness and dignity to the world and thereby provide a taste of a future in the reign of God under the rule and authority of Jesus Christ.” (George Hunsberger, Missional Church)
Things like: reconciliation, justice, peace, hope, faith, love, healthy relationships, forgiveness, joy, etc.. Whether big, small, bold, simple or complex our actions and life can point to how God’s reign/kingdom will fully look/be like in the future.
SIGNATURE: the church communicates to our culture that God is the source of their hope.
When we’re being God’s community… living and acting according to His values … it’s inevitable that we’ll have opportunity to speak God’s message and make sure people see his signature.
“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” (1 Peter 3:15)
When the church truly sees itself as a sign of God’s presence, living the ways of Jesus and under God’s reign, caring for the needs around them, the inevitable happens – people wonder who’s the cause of all this. Then we get to write God’s signature at the bottom of it and rant about how God brought us out of darkness into his wonderful light (1 Peter
The Church was designed to exist locally knowing WHERE they were & WHO they were, LIVING as a Sign of God’s presence, a Sign-post of his future, and a Signature of his doing AMONG their culture.
I’d love to hear how you see the church fulfilling this or failing at it. What’s happening in your own community of faith that reflects this? Any other thoughts?
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
gutting it [underconstruction #2]
Peter continues to challenge 1st Century mariginalized Christians to become a community (1 Peter 1:22-2:5), the spiritual house God is building them into. A community that will be God's living and local presence in their culture. But for this community to truly become community, they must grow towards that goal, and it won't come easy.
So chapter 2 starts with these words: Therefore, RID YOURSELVES of all malice... deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies crave spiritual spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up...
Peter's goal is seeing these Christ followers grow into a Christian identity and community. If this doesn't happen, their witness will likely not survive in their culture.
Eugene Peterson translates this verse: SO CLEAN HOUSE!!
Most construction projects usually need a deconstruction phase. You often need to gut something before you build something else. In Peter's letter (specifically 1:22-2:5) it's
relational characteristics that need to be gutted if this church (or churches) will grow into God's intended design for them as a community in their culture.
Taking the challenge further, is there anything that needs to be gutted as God builds a community into his living and local presence in a culture (spiritual house)? Here are a few things I've struggled with the last few years as I've tried to reorient my understanding of the church:
Gutting the idea that the church is a building
Peter calls us living stones and a spiritual house, indicating the church is less about brick and mortar and more a living-local community of God in our culture. (buildings are useful, but they will not be what defines the church)
Gutting the idea that the church is event oriented
Peter challenges us to live among the culture (2:5, 12), not necessarily invite the culture to us (though this can happen well in certain environments or for specific purposes). In this letter's context the church unlikely had crusades, seeker services, or events for the community to come to. They we're marginalized and persecuted, so they likely lived their faith within their culture... and as people took notice, took interest in Jesus, and became followers of Jesus they eventually became part of the church community. (although I doubt it was in steps and much more natural and fluid; i.e. someone could have become part of the community before they trusted Jesus fully)
(realated: Gutting the idea that we can make an impact in our culture by what we do inside a gathering; as great as a gathering can be there will never be interest in what happens inside if there's no interest in what happens outside)
Gutting the idea that you can divorce spiritual nourishment from mission
Peter invites the church to CRAVE for Jesus, the Living Stone, who is the source of their spiritual growth and formation. Our lives grow in worship and witness - being living and local - as we grow in Jesus. For the church to thrive in a culture it must be constantly craving towards spiritual formation (becoming like Jesus in character, action, what one cares about). You can't build a spiritual house on periodic meals just like you couldn't possibly survive physically by eating 2-3x per month.
Gutting out the idea that programs make better people
I wonder about the idea that a program will fix your child or teenager, that a course will make your marriage better, that an affinity group will cure all life-stage complaints. This stuff might be helpful, but I imagine a community with intergenerational mentoring, encouragement, challenge, and support. No program in heaven can substitute for an environment where people mutually share, care, and support one another.
Gutting the idea that the pastor keeps the church going.
pastors can lead, but not sustain
pastors can teach a community, but not make a community
pastors can love people, but not make them love each other
pastors can connect to people, but not make people connect to each other
pastors can creatively come up with ideas to be God's community in their culture, but God calls each Christ follower to be a spiritual entrepeneur in their culture - being an extention of God's living and local presence.
In essence, WE are the church who build each other up (see Ephesians 4:11-16).
Lots of us have started or joined new churches with misunderstood ecclesiology (theology of the church). Lots of us came into new settings with old worldviews. Whether you never understood the church, or just acquired false layers of understanding along the way, consider some things you need to gut out and allow God to grow you into his design with his foundation as a starting point.
Is there personal characteristics you need to deal with 1st (2:1) that inhibit you from contributing/connecting to your spiritual community?
Which of these gutting ideas for the church do you resonate with?
Which do you still struggle with? Which do you disagree with?
Is there anything else we need to gut in our understanding of the church so God can fully build us further into his spiritual house?
* the following weeks will focuse on the building blocks (next week: home base)
So chapter 2 starts with these words: Therefore, RID YOURSELVES of all malice... deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies crave spiritual spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up...
Peter's goal is seeing these Christ followers grow into a Christian identity and community. If this doesn't happen, their witness will likely not survive in their culture.
Eugene Peterson translates this verse: SO CLEAN HOUSE!!
Most construction projects usually need a deconstruction phase. You often need to gut something before you build something else. In Peter's letter (specifically 1:22-2:5) it's
relational characteristics that need to be gutted if this church (or churches) will grow into God's intended design for them as a community in their culture.Taking the challenge further, is there anything that needs to be gutted as God builds a community into his living and local presence in a culture (spiritual house)? Here are a few things I've struggled with the last few years as I've tried to reorient my understanding of the church:
Gutting the idea that the church is a building
Peter calls us living stones and a spiritual house, indicating the church is less about brick and mortar and more a living-local community of God in our culture. (buildings are useful, but they will not be what defines the church)
Gutting the idea that the church is event oriented
Peter challenges us to live among the culture (2:5, 12), not necessarily invite the culture to us (though this can happen well in certain environments or for specific purposes). In this letter's context the church unlikely had crusades, seeker services, or events for the community to come to. They we're marginalized and persecuted, so they likely lived their faith within their culture... and as people took notice, took interest in Jesus, and became followers of Jesus they eventually became part of the church community. (although I doubt it was in steps and much more natural and fluid; i.e. someone could have become part of the community before they trusted Jesus fully)
(realated: Gutting the idea that we can make an impact in our culture by what we do inside a gathering; as great as a gathering can be there will never be interest in what happens inside if there's no interest in what happens outside)
Gutting the idea that you can divorce spiritual nourishment from mission
Peter invites the church to CRAVE for Jesus, the Living Stone, who is the source of their spiritual growth and formation. Our lives grow in worship and witness - being living and local - as we grow in Jesus. For the church to thrive in a culture it must be constantly craving towards spiritual formation (becoming like Jesus in character, action, what one cares about). You can't build a spiritual house on periodic meals just like you couldn't possibly survive physically by eating 2-3x per month.
Gutting out the idea that programs make better people
I wonder about the idea that a program will fix your child or teenager, that a course will make your marriage better, that an affinity group will cure all life-stage complaints. This stuff might be helpful, but I imagine a community with intergenerational mentoring, encouragement, challenge, and support. No program in heaven can substitute for an environment where people mutually share, care, and support one another.
Gutting the idea that the pastor keeps the church going.
pastors can lead, but not sustain
pastors can teach a community, but not make a community
pastors can love people, but not make them love each other
pastors can connect to people, but not make people connect to each other
pastors can creatively come up with ideas to be God's community in their culture, but God calls each Christ follower to be a spiritual entrepeneur in their culture - being an extention of God's living and local presence.
In essence, WE are the church who build each other up (see Ephesians 4:11-16).
Lots of us have started or joined new churches with misunderstood ecclesiology (theology of the church). Lots of us came into new settings with old worldviews. Whether you never understood the church, or just acquired false layers of understanding along the way, consider some things you need to gut out and allow God to grow you into his design with his foundation as a starting point.
Is there personal characteristics you need to deal with 1st (2:1) that inhibit you from contributing/connecting to your spiritual community?
Which of these gutting ideas for the church do you resonate with?
Which do you still struggle with? Which do you disagree with?
Is there anything else we need to gut in our understanding of the church so God can fully build us further into his spiritual house?
* the following weeks will focuse on the building blocks (next week: home base)
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
the project [under construction #1]
The Project is part 1 of our Under Construction series at Westside.
Main: God's design for the church is for it to be his living and local presence in any and every culture through out history.
Read: 1 Peter 1:1-2; 2:1-10
Think: Peter speaks to marginalized (socially outcast) group of Christ followers in scattered urban centers throughout Asia minor (1st century). He refers to them as strangers, scattered, aliens, temporary residents - as he defines their context/cultre. As he (re)defines their identity he refers to them as a spiritual house: holy priesthood, chosen people, royal priesthood, holy nation, a people belonging to God. Big difference from their context to their identity!!
Theologically/Biblically Peter sees the local church as the extension of Israel - they are the new Israel in Jesus (the Jewish language refering to Gentiles in foreign urban centers tells us this; Scot McKnight believes this text is the most clearest example of this in the NT); Israel's vocation was undoubtedly to be the light of the world - in the world.
2:5 is the key - you are being built into a spiritual house
Spiritual: God is living in them
House: God is living in their culture through them
All kinds of connections to God living in the temple with Israel (113x Israel is refered as the House of Israel); God having a local presence on earth through Israel. But now God takes up space in people - not just persons - a people - the church. And here it is....
The church is living... the church is local.
The church is God's work in progress (under construction) to be HIS living and local presence in the culture we live in. The church is a spiritual house - on a street, in a neighborhood, in a city, province, country...
The church is a worshipping community (v.5), not b/c of what it's singing, but b/c of what it's living. The church is a witnessing community (v.9) as it tells what God has done in and for people.
Live: are you being God's living presence locally on your street... in your office building... warehouse... circle of friends...?
Is the church living and local in it's surrounding community?
What's the big deal? Is there a difference on your street because you live there? Is there a difference in your comomunity because your church is there?
Pray: God, turn us into your living and local presence in our culture; build us into a spiritual house in our city; redefine our identity in Christ regardless of the culture we live in.
Main: God's design for the church is for it to be his living and local presence in any and every culture through out history.
Read: 1 Peter 1:1-2; 2:1-10
Think: Peter speaks to marginalized (socially outcast) group of Christ followers in scattered urban centers throughout Asia minor (1st century). He refers to them as strangers, scattered, aliens, temporary residents - as he defines their context/cultre. As he (re)defines their identity he refers to them as a spiritual house: holy priesthood, chosen people, royal priesthood, holy nation, a people belonging to God. Big difference from their context to their identity!!
Theologically/Biblically Peter sees the local church as the extension of Israel - they are the new Israel in Jesus (the Jewish language refering to Gentiles in foreign urban centers tells us this; Scot McKnight believes this text is the most clearest example of this in the NT); Israel's vocation was undoubtedly to be the light of the world - in the world.
2:5 is the key - you are being built into a spiritual house
Spiritual: God is living in them
House: God is living in their culture through them
All kinds of connections to God living in the temple with Israel (113x Israel is refered as the House of Israel); God having a local presence on earth through Israel. But now God takes up space in people - not just persons - a people - the church. And here it is....
The church is living... the church is local.
The church is God's work in progress (under construction) to be HIS living and local presence in the culture we live in. The church is a spiritual house - on a street, in a neighborhood, in a city, province, country...
The church is a worshipping community (v.5), not b/c of what it's singing, but b/c of what it's living. The church is a witnessing community (v.9) as it tells what God has done in and for people.
Live: are you being God's living presence locally on your street... in your office building... warehouse... circle of friends...?
Is the church living and local in it's surrounding community?
What's the big deal? Is there a difference on your street because you live there? Is there a difference in your comomunity because your church is there?
Pray: God, turn us into your living and local presence in our culture; build us into a spiritual house in our city; redefine our identity in Christ regardless of the culture we live in.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)