Amazing that Jeremy would be convicted on these things. Richard and I are at the Church Planters Conference at Antioch. It has been great. The most important thing I have heard is that Antioch gives strong encouragements to the teams they send out, but the only thing they mandate is holiness. Jimmy Seibert said, don't sell out your holiness to be cool, or relevant, or emergent or post-modern. That the lost are drawn to genuine commitment to living like Jesus. They happen to be relevant, but do not sell out to it.
This is helpful to me. I so much want us to be culturally appropriate, but want my life to be transformed to be like Jesus even more. My biggest challenge right now is letting him be my identity. "I have been crucified with Christ..." and to be bold in sharing my faith. I fear being seen as weird. Surely weird is not necessary, but I mainly want to be eternally relevant...and I guess that is pretty weird.
Whether or not God uses us to win one person...may he transform us to be a community after his own heart...that glorifies him in how we live.
What would it be like if I had no fear...and pure faith?
3 comments:
The relevance vs. wierdness is a topic that I have struggled with for a long time. How do we portray Jesus but be so pure in Him alone that we do not protray christianity or conservativeness or republican or southern etc. Those are all things that bring the wierdness in. Lord, would you teach us about this?
I am at my desk reading this and crying. This might be the answer to the cries I have been giving to God about this same thing since the retreat. I truly want to be what and all that God wants me to be. However, I have been a little anxious about going to SC with the southern accent and being 48 years old... (in other words, all my imperfections and inadequacies). I feel ancient compared to the younger folks and worried that in order to fit in I would have to compromise my beliefs. God has shaped me through my experiences, the places I have lived and the churches I have attended... I have been afraid that I had to become something that I really am not. My stomach churns when I hear that you should do what ever it takes to win someone to the Lord. I have even been told by a youth pastor that he would do whatever he had to in order to talk to them about God--smoking, drinking, cursing...
I completely believe we have to live a sold out life for God and that is what attracts people to God.
Lara, your question is perfect? That must have been what the Israelites thought when they went from Egypt to Canaan. But it was their attempt to holiness that got other's attention. Oh, that we may all find the balance.
Mommy, I am right there with you. Sometimes I worry that I will try so hard to fit in and try so hard to actually have friends up there, that I will forget why and who we are going there for. Lara, is right Jesus, will you teach us how to stay true to you.
Post a Comment