Church Planting Series, Part twelve
I came across a great quote from Alexander Solzhenitsyn:
“A society based on the letter of the law and never reaching any higher, fails to take advantage of the full range of human possibilities. The letter of the law is too cold and formal to have a beneficial influence on society. Whenever the tissue of life is woven of legalistic relationships, this creates an atmosphere of spiritual mediocrity that paralyzes men’s noblest impulses.”
In church planting, legalism is always a temptation. You start something a certain way. You use your gifts to get the ball rolling. You choose the songs. You pick the slide backgrounds. You organize the small group structure. You brainstorm community outreach projects. You design the strategic plan. Then, suddenly, people show up. People get involved. And they have ideas that might change things!
You may be a Gospel preacher, a Gospel servant, a Gospel kind of person. You may never think of yourself as a legalist, a control freak, an in-the-box dude. But suddenly, at the prospect of change, you bristle. You hesitate. You say (or want to say) “No!”
It’s amazing how “that’s not the way we’ve done it before” can surface after one week in a church plant!
We’re creatures of habit. We like our will to be done. We’re legalists at heart.
The result is death. People get discouraged. Imaginations whither. Creativity disappears. Taking risks for the Gospel falls off the radar. The fear of not doing things the way “they” say it should be done takes hold and paralyzes the hearts and minds of all. 2 Corinthians 3:6 sums it up well: “The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”
I’m not talking about an “anything goes” attitude or a departure from God’s Word and ways. I’m talking about the fear-based reduction of all possibilities to one person’s mind, judgment, and rules.
How do you leave “an atmosphere of spiritual mediocrity that paralyzes men’s noblest impulses” behind? How do you leave legalism behind and live in the new covenant that gives life?
Building on “the Spirit gives life” proclamation of 2 Corinthians 3:6, Paul sticks with his point of a life of freedom in the Gospel. He says in chapter four, verse five, “For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.” Legalism is left behind when an event that we would have never thought of takes hold of our lives. Legalism is left behind at the cross. His ways ARE higher than our ways. We’re not the only game in town. There’s a body of Christ out there. There are many gifts for the common good. We live by grace, not by our works—-or our brainy plans and strategies.
When we belong to Christ Jesus and keep in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:24-25), people live in the freedom of the Gospel. They are respected and loved. Their Spirit-led imaginations soar. Paralysis is gone. Spiritual mediocrity evaporates. The Kingdom flourishes. We notice and embrace God’s surprises. Mission and ministry become beautiful. A church-plant happens, not a me-plant.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Don't Get Lost
Church Planting Series, Part eleven
Air France flight 447. Judge Sotomayor. Swine Flu. GM goes through bankruptcy. An abortion doctor murdered in a Lutheran Church.
This is what people are thinking about this week. Add to those items a broken relationship, an illness in the family, a special family celebration, financial struggles, some life successes, personal dissatisfaction at work, a vacation that’s coming, the struggle with an addiction, and a boatload of stress, and you have a pretty good idea of where people are at.
The question is: will you meet them there?
Church planting can be very thought and life consuming. It can get to a point where you’re thinking so much about ministry, you begin to think ministry is the whole point, the goal, the end. You talk with your ministry friends. You read ministry books. You plan ministry events. You work with ministry teams.
And you may forget that people aren’t thinking about ministry; they’re thinking about life!
Will you meet people who are living life with the Good News of Jesus Christ for their lives? Will you remember what it feels like to live?
One hazard of church/ministry planting is that a ministry leader can get lost in the church. You can forget to connect with people and take their thoughts captive for Christ.
Do you remember when the exiles were returning from Babylon and they heard the preaching of the Word for the first time? Nehemiah 8:7-8 tells us that the Levites, “Instructed the people in the Law while the people were standing there. They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read.”
People need to understand the Gospel for their lives, their ups and downs, their celebrations and hurts, their media-bombarded brains. If you forget to “make it clear and give meaning so that the people could understand,” you’re sending people away to become lost in the world.
You see, that’s the other extreme. People are getting lost in the world—-in the headlines, schedules, bills, and busyness. You shouldn’t be a leader who joins them—-and lets the headlines drive your ministry. But you shouldn’t be a leader who is disjointed from them. The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us—-full of grace and truth (John 14:6). God came near. He touched the weak and sick. He laid hands on the children. He looked people in the eye. And He brought life. A blood dripping, screaming Savior joined us in our brokenness and helped us in our pain.
Will you draw near, make the connections, and articulate the fact that Jesus joins people in their real lives? If you’re having a hard time remembering how, get out, take notice, and live a little.
Air France flight 447. Judge Sotomayor. Swine Flu. GM goes through bankruptcy. An abortion doctor murdered in a Lutheran Church.
This is what people are thinking about this week. Add to those items a broken relationship, an illness in the family, a special family celebration, financial struggles, some life successes, personal dissatisfaction at work, a vacation that’s coming, the struggle with an addiction, and a boatload of stress, and you have a pretty good idea of where people are at.
The question is: will you meet them there?
Church planting can be very thought and life consuming. It can get to a point where you’re thinking so much about ministry, you begin to think ministry is the whole point, the goal, the end. You talk with your ministry friends. You read ministry books. You plan ministry events. You work with ministry teams.
And you may forget that people aren’t thinking about ministry; they’re thinking about life!
Will you meet people who are living life with the Good News of Jesus Christ for their lives? Will you remember what it feels like to live?
One hazard of church/ministry planting is that a ministry leader can get lost in the church. You can forget to connect with people and take their thoughts captive for Christ.
Do you remember when the exiles were returning from Babylon and they heard the preaching of the Word for the first time? Nehemiah 8:7-8 tells us that the Levites, “Instructed the people in the Law while the people were standing there. They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read.”
People need to understand the Gospel for their lives, their ups and downs, their celebrations and hurts, their media-bombarded brains. If you forget to “make it clear and give meaning so that the people could understand,” you’re sending people away to become lost in the world.
You see, that’s the other extreme. People are getting lost in the world—-in the headlines, schedules, bills, and busyness. You shouldn’t be a leader who joins them—-and lets the headlines drive your ministry. But you shouldn’t be a leader who is disjointed from them. The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us—-full of grace and truth (John 14:6). God came near. He touched the weak and sick. He laid hands on the children. He looked people in the eye. And He brought life. A blood dripping, screaming Savior joined us in our brokenness and helped us in our pain.
Will you draw near, make the connections, and articulate the fact that Jesus joins people in their real lives? If you’re having a hard time remembering how, get out, take notice, and live a little.
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