Church as Family: 3 of my friends who are pastors and leaders in EFCA sharing about their journey into more organic forms of being the church on the mission of Jesus.
Good stuff.
WOW!!!
a seriously powerful modern parable of the church’s need of the Holy Spirit’s power and leading in all that we are and do rather than us just making things happen.
again, maybe i’m a broken record but i think the greatest need of the church is us learning to hear what the Spirit is saying to us, to obey and then teach others to do the same.
that’s why my life mission is to:
listen to God, do what He says, and teach others to do the same.
when we learn to discern what our great God is speaking to us and how we are to follow Him we will see a people unleashed and empowered to be and do all that God is calling us to rather than us just filling holes because it seems like a good thing to do.
An excerpt from Francis Chan’s Forgotten God DVD that asks the question what is everything really suppose to be…especially the Church!!!
From South Carolina To Southern Colorado
photo by: techsoup for libraries
Last Tuesday, March 2nd 2010, we met with 3 great young guys from South Carolina who feel God is leading them to Pueblo, CO to plant house churches. It looks like sometime in April or thereabouts Marshall, Brandon (aka Moore), and Jeff (along with his wife who i look forward to meeting when they move out here) will be making the trek to follow the Lord’s call on their lives.
We had a sweet time sharing what God used to move us into organic church life and planting as well as what God has done in bringing about coloradohousechurch, our wide network of simple churches spread across colorado(fyi: i use the terms simple, organic and house almost interchangably wehn describing church. not all house churches are simple nor organic but that’s what i’m praying for among the house church movement: a Spirit led movement of indigenous churches where God is glorified and He leads our lives and meetings in such a way that everyone can easily play the part they are called to and things are so simple that multiplication can take place rapidly.).
please join me in praying for these three guys (and jeff’s wife too) as they come to Colorado to follow Him in living out the mission of seeing disciples made and churches planted in an often neglected city in Colorado: Pueblo. looking forward to helping them get connected here in Colorado and walking with them as they pursue listening to God, doing what He says and teaching others to do the same.
anyway here is what marshall posted to his blog: marshallnorthcutt.tumblr.com.
So Tuesday we got together with a bunch of other Christ Lovers who are living out the “organic” Church life out. It was awesome to join together with others who are already doing what God is calling us to. So we heard everybody’s stories and told ours. Then we ending our time with just prayer and listening to God to see what He has to say to us and for Pueblo. Here’s some notes of what came out…
From Tim: Marshall, You are special. Wait on me and You are free. All of you be gentle with yourselves.
From Desi: desistarr.com Don’t try to make anything happen. Wait on me. I will renew your strength and give you rest. Fruitfulness will flow naturally from being with me. I am the missionary God. You can trust me completely.
From Margee: What is God already doing in Pueblo? How to enter into that? Pray for the people that God would have to be involved. Big need for youth. Pueblo is a dry and weary land where there is no water.
From Sean: ”For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.” (John 3:34) God has sent you. Speak His words boldly for he gives you the Spirit, all of Him without limit. Your boldness is going to be what limits you. So be bold. I am proud of you.
From Marty: treasurefield.wordpress.com You can’t teach a Kid to Ride a bike at a Seminar. God will teach us thru personal discipleship and God will teach thru us, not by us talking at people, but thru discipling and loving people. Put your faith into action.
From John: storiesfromtherevolution.blogspot.com Mission flows from listening. If you listen to them they will listen to you. If you become world class listeners people will line up at your doors to hear what you have to say. Also learn to listen to God for everything and focus on teaching others how to listen to God. ”Be quick to listen and slow to speak…” (James 1:19)
From Hobby: revolutiondenver.com You are one. You are sent. You belong to one another. West Pueblo???
The world is not waiting on the drunkards & whores to repent. They’re waiting on the church to repent.” Dallas Willard
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| — | (via @dckenney: david kenney’s twitter page) |
this is probably the biggest thing we are missing at our house church: high quality special songs;).
Finally, in a nutshell, what do we want the Church to do? We don’t ask for more
cathedrals. We don’t ask for bigger churches or fine gifts. We ask for its presence
with us, beside us, as Christ among us. We ask the Church to sacrifice with the people
for social change, for Justice, and for love of brother. We don’t ask for words, We ask
for deeds. We don’t ask for paternalism, We ask for servant hood.
cathedrals. We don’t ask for bigger churches or fine gifts. We ask for its presence
with us, beside us, as Christ among us. We ask the Church to sacrifice with the people
for social change, for Justice, and for love of brother. We don’t ask for words, We ask
for deeds. We don’t ask for paternalism, We ask for servant hood.
“
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Cesar Chavez, “The Mexican-American and the Church” 1968 (via silveramogart) |
