I'm reminded of a quote from an old preacher, who often became invigorated by the encouragement of his listeners. It was like telling a bull dog to "sick 'em". he would say. With such an energized base, it's awesome to move in a new direction, with people confidently trusting the vision that God has given you. They allow failure. Failure means an attempt at success happened. Success in God's eyes, is to have "thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."
May your kingdom come. May we be about bringing heaven to earth.
5 comments:
I love how this one church in Charlotte defines church.
The Church - God's design for community
The church is a local community of baptized believers unified through faith in Christ. It is committed to the teachings of Christ, to obeying all of His commands, and it seeks to bring the gospel to the world. The Church works together in love and unity, intent on the ultimate purpose of glorifying Christ.
(Matthew 16:18-19; 18:15-20; Acts 2:41-47; 5:11-14; 13:1-3; 14:23; 16:5; 20:28; 1 Corinthians 7:17; 9:13-14; 12; Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:19-22; 3:10-12; 5:22-32; Colossians 1:18; 3:15; 1 Timothy 4:14; 1 Peter 5:1-4; Revelation 21:2-3)
Rachele - that is a good one. it really is all about the greater community. we tend to take such an individualistic approach to everything - including the gospel and it tears us apart as the body. that is one reason for so much discord, denominations, etc....
it's amazing to me how He has been aligning His teaching to each of us individually and working on all of us.... He is beyond words AWESOME
tomorrow if you get the chance check out my blog - I had some thoughts about this same thing, I had scheduled to post tomorrow!
another bull dog lesson for you...
bull dog's noses are slanted back so that they can breathe without ever having to let go.
We must have that determination. Hold on to that vision, hold on to your goal of following God's plan for you no matter what you have to give up, what others say or how hard it gets... the dream He has for your life is for YOU and it's between you and Him.
The road is narrow - hold on tight - and don't ever lose focus on Him!
all men die but so few men ever truly live, right?
I believe a big part of that is being willing to hold on while others are letting go..
I think this Blend thing is great. Finally, a place I can bring friends who wouldn't be caught dead in a church. If anyone opposes this, they are opposing a God who loves sinners. The last time I read the Bible it reminded me that the church exists to make disciples. You guys hang in there. Don't let those who claim to love God, but oppose you discourage you from loving the people He died for. Those who stand in God's way will find themselves smashed under the mighty fist of God. Why? Because God hates evil and Satan and when we team up with Satan, then we are on the opposite team God is.
Woohoo! Man it's great to see people pumped about doing God's work! Our goal is to reach those who are tired of guilt trips others have used just to get them to make a decision. Attendance numbers were never meant for ego trips. At least they show people hungry for God, at best they show the work of the Holy Spirit in people's lives who are turned off by tradition and look-down your nose judgmentalism. Pray for them. Love them. Let me encourage you to model our vision: Build a bridge to those who are not behind the vision.
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