Just a few quotes from the book Jim and Casper Go To Church. What are you thoughts and what do we do?
"Casper had a number of questions for me before, during and after each church we visited. But the one question that was far and away the most difficult for me to hear was this one: 'Jim, is that what Jesus told you guys to do?'"
"Casper could not imagine Jesus telling his followers that the most important thing they should be doing is holding church services."
"Unless we're willing to remove the handles from the front doors of our churches and publicly say to outsiders, 'We don't care what you think,' the church must become more reflective and repentant about how outsiders perceive us.
As long as pastors continue to promote 'bring a friend to church Sunday' and as long as we put 'Everybody Welcome' on our church sign, we are the ones who need to change - not our guests.
Jesus gave us a mission. I don't remember reading anything in the Bible written to missing people telling them to 'go into all the church.' They don't have a mission to adjust to us; we have to adapt for them. It's called the Incarnation."
Your thoughts?
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2 comments:
Timmy Tim Tiimmmm...
Dude, I've been thinking on this stuff a lot lately. Now, I'm talking without knowing answers, so I'm not sure if I agree with myself or what...
I've always been one to say "we need to be more missional! We must be outwardly minded! We need to be RELEVANT!"
I still hold to all that (I am a little sick of the word relevant, though...I think I've seen it, in too many cases, turn into BEING EXACTLY THE SAME as the world as oppose to simply relating to it).
However, I was reading in 2 Corinthians about coming out of the world. I DO think we need to be in it and making a difference, but, personally, I am putting on the brakes in my life until I get my head cleared. I think I was headed down a road of blending in as opposed to merely being "relateable." I don't know if this answers your question or not.
I'm kinda riding the fence. YES..we need to be in the world and making friends with scum the way Jesus did. I agree 100% ... not just having church services like your blog says.
However, I think our generation just needs to take a long look and re-evaluate how much we are simply blending in. I know I may sound like an old fart, but maybe the old farts know a thing or two more than me.
Paul talks a lot about being pure and holy and set apart and sometimes without mentioning reaching into the world. Just being a set apart community.
I don't know dude. I'm stupid. The end.
Well I think I understand where you are trying to go.
I was reading in Acts a while back where they were called Christians for the very first time, they were CALLED, they didn't name themselves. They were living in a way to where people noticed there was something different about them. It almost seems now days we either throw that we're Christians out there as a reason we're doing this or the reason we should be doing this.
Instead it just being a part of our DNA, a part of who we are, I think its bigger than being what we know as a "Christian" today, it's being Jesus.
I agree that we do need to listen to the ones you refer to as the "old farts", and I too am sick of the word "relevant", what does that even mean? I simply have the same question that Casper has, "Is this what Jesus told you guys?"
If you go to a church service, all the time and energy is put in that "service", whether good or bad or right or wrong, I don't know. But what we're telling the world is that you come to us and it's about being here on Sunday mornings, now I understand the importance of getting together and studying the Scriptures.
But wouldn't it almost be more like Jesus to be a church to where we were out with the people? Telling people that we care so much about you that we're coming to you.
(ps - I know there are plenty of people that live that way, I'm just thinking about the majority of people that come to a church on Sunday mornings, thats all for them. Isn't there more? Is that was Jesus told you guys to do? Just a thought and a question.)
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