GENIUS.
We had an incredible C3 Conference this past weekend. Our overarching theme was "MORE" based upon the understanding that there is so much "more" that God has for all of us personally and as a church body. In our opening session on Friday morning, I stated that receiving the more that God has for us as a church will require missional thinking and living. We then spent the majority of our time talking about how we could do just that. This generated a lot of great discussion and ideas. (I look forward to the fruit that this will produce!)
For years the church has lived by a "come and see" approach to ministry. Missional thinking and living directs us to "go and be". So which is it that we are to embrace and flesh out? This is where ‘genius’ enters the equation.I have found that as long as I insist on an either/or proposition or response, I limit what could happen. The truth is this, not everything is that black and white or cut and dry. Therefore, in order for us to maintain balance and maximize our potential in life we must embrace what is often referred to as the "genius of the and".
This is a principle found all through Scripture. A classic example would be in the arena of faith and works. ROM. 3:27-28 (NLT) Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on our good deeds. It is based on our faith. So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law. JAMES 2:17, 26 (NLT) So you see, it isn't enough just to have faith. Faith that doesn't show itself by good deeds is no faith at all-it is dead and useless. Just as the body is dead without a spirit, so also faith is dead without good deeds.
Put your faith to work this week..."go and be" and once you're there, invite people to "come and see"!
We had an incredible C3 Conference this past weekend. Our overarching theme was "MORE" based upon the understanding that there is so much "more" that God has for all of us personally and as a church body. In our opening session on Friday morning, I stated that receiving the more that God has for us as a church will require missional thinking and living. We then spent the majority of our time talking about how we could do just that. This generated a lot of great discussion and ideas. (I look forward to the fruit that this will produce!)
For years the church has lived by a "come and see" approach to ministry. Missional thinking and living directs us to "go and be". So which is it that we are to embrace and flesh out? This is where ‘genius’ enters the equation.I have found that as long as I insist on an either/or proposition or response, I limit what could happen. The truth is this, not everything is that black and white or cut and dry. Therefore, in order for us to maintain balance and maximize our potential in life we must embrace what is often referred to as the "genius of the and".
This is a principle found all through Scripture. A classic example would be in the arena of faith and works. ROM. 3:27-28 (NLT) Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on our good deeds. It is based on our faith. So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law. JAMES 2:17, 26 (NLT) So you see, it isn't enough just to have faith. Faith that doesn't show itself by good deeds is no faith at all-it is dead and useless. Just as the body is dead without a spirit, so also faith is dead without good deeds.
Put your faith to work this week..."go and be" and once you're there, invite people to "come and see"!
This past weekend I was on the south side of Chicago and saw many people accept Christ and or be restored to relationship with him. This morning I was enjoying listening to your message Keith on Unfinished Business. I am so encouraged by it. This is what captured my heart back in 1983 and has motivated me since! The saving, healing delivering, transfroming message of GOD's love expressed in the life death and resurection of CHrist!!! The reality is that as we talk about the second coming of Christ billions have never heard of the first!
While we wait for his coming HIS WORD says that this gospel will be preached to every nation/ ethnicity and THEN the end will come. He came, lived a perfect life, fullfilled all the requirements of the law. He gave his life in our place and paid for our sins. He satisfied the righteousness of God and his BLOOD paid the debt we all owe. He overcame sin death and the grave. HE ROSE FROM the dead. HE gave us the great CO-Mission then poured out HIS SPIRIT without measure and said YOU GO!!!! Go preach the gospel to every person, make disciples of every ethnicity in the WHOLE world! As we are going in our everyday life, and everywhere we can go- THIS is our mission. We say until HE comes HE says "no- do it until you have given the gospel to every person and have made disciples (a church) in every ethnicity" - THEN I WILL COME! IF we do THIS HE will be with us until the end of the age.
DO We have unfinished business? I think so!!! BLESS YOU AS YOU GO and let's 'giterdone!
Jon
Posted by: Jon Eastlick | October 26, 2009 at 06:02 AM