I don’t know how many times we did a series on what it means to be the church. In trying to get people to belong to a church that is serious about evangelism, I have been part of a team that repeatedly preached on what church is, its mission statement, what it means to belong to church and how important it is to be inviting others to come to church events. The paradigm is well-intentioned: belong here, play your part in the body, be active in helping us reach out to people, invite them to church so they can hear the gospel and hopefully become Christians. This is a Christian community; we love and care for others, as Jesus commanded us to: seek the lost, care for the found.
Here is the paradigm of Jesus: there is a kingdom greater than any earthly kingdom, it is an eternal kingdom; to have the eternal kind of life you need to repent, go on trusting and following me, and represent the purpose and values of my kingdom to all you meet.
While we want to build commitment and involvement in our churches, leaders need to teach and model being a disciple of Jesus and member of his kingdom. American author Reggie McNeal has exposed the dangers of churches becoming very club-like. When we give the view that the Christian life centres around church, we fall short of living the gospel of the kingdom of God. It can result in people seeing church activities as Christian and everything else as ‘secular’, when God’s kingdom and our involvement in it extends way beyond church. All that God has made is sacred, there for us to steward and enjoy.
Trusting Jesus means following him, which is the life of a disciple. The concept of a disciple, like KoG, comes to us through the Jewish people. It means following Jesus because you want passionately to become like him – being intimately close to him, trusting him, allowing his Spirit to shape you, on a journey of personal transformation. Being a disciple of Jesus is about intentionally seeking to become more like Jesus.
When I see myself as trying to become the sort of person Jesus would be, if he was me, then I am being a disciple of Jesus and honouring God. Christ-like character can be formed in me [Gal 4:19]. Formation is essentially spiritual, it continues to change me as I live by God’s Spirit. To live/walk by the Spirit includes being involved in the body of Christ, and it concerns other personal spiritual habits that require self-discipline in my private life as well. It means learning to master the natural human responses that we find ourselves so easily doing. It has the goal of involuntary obedience to God’s rule replacing involuntary disobedience.
Make this preaching series almost entirely from the Gospels. The term ‘Christian’ occurs 3 times in NT; ‘disciple’ occurs 269 times. Jesus only speaks of ‘church’ twice but always teaches about the kingdom. Transitioning a church requires a Gospel language and focus: as an individual, what does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus, representing his kingdom in today’s world? What are kingdom values? Collectively, is our church a visible expression of life in God’s kingdom – his purpose, his values? Are we showing the world what it looks like when a community of people lives under the grace and rule of Jesus Christ?
Trusting Jesus means following him, which is the life of a disciple. The concept of a disciple, like KoG, comes to us through the Jewish people. It means following Jesus because you want passionately to become like him – being intimately close to him, trusting him, allowing his Spirit to shape you, on a journey of personal transformation. Being a disciple of Jesus is about intentionally seeking to become more like Jesus.
When I see myself as trying to become the sort of person Jesus would be, if he was me, then I am being a disciple of Jesus and honouring God. Christ-like character can be formed in me [Gal 4:19]. Formation is essentially spiritual, it continues to change me as I live by God’s Spirit. To live/walk by the Spirit includes being involved in the body of Christ, and it concerns other personal spiritual habits that require self-discipline in my private life as well. It means learning to master the natural human responses that we find ourselves so easily doing. It has the goal of involuntary obedience to God’s rule replacing involuntary disobedience.
Make this preaching series almost entirely from the Gospels. The term ‘Christian’ occurs 3 times in NT; ‘disciple’ occurs 269 times. Jesus only speaks of ‘church’ twice but always teaches about the kingdom. Transitioning a church requires a Gospel language and focus: as an individual, what does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus, representing his kingdom in today’s world? What are kingdom values? Collectively, is our church a visible expression of life in God’s kingdom – his purpose, his values? Are we showing the world what it looks like when a community of people lives under the grace and rule of Jesus Christ?
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