Take Two

I got my new Blackberry 8830 yesterday and, rather than the dull silver or black model, I got this fire engine red one.  I think if I put an Ohio State Buckeyes sticker on it I’ll be good.

I certainly won’t lose this phone.

Full disclosure: The red one was the only one in stock.  I’m usually not that adventuresome.

Even though it is easily mocked.

James 1:27
27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
KJV

Before I get along with this post, here’s the standard disclaimer. Please read and be blessed. (A pitfall of working with lawyers).

Okay, now that that’s done, on to business. I was looking at 90&9 this morning and saw this wonderful survey regarding why folks are optimistic and pessimistic about the Apostolic movement. Before I get into my thoughts, let me encourage you to make 90&9 a part of your Monday morning reading (or Tuesday if your Monday was fried like mine). It is awesome, relevant, timely, and all of that.

So here are, in my summation, the most frequent thoughts on each of these:

• Optimistic: The church is becoming relevant and reaching outside the church.
• Pessimistic: The church clings to tradition and is prone to petty warfare.

I could not agree more with both of those things. I am probably more keyed into them as our District Conference is the week and both will likely be on display. First, the things I’m positive about which have been especially in practice in our own church. Never in my lifetime membership in our church have I seen such focus on outreach, evangelism and discipleship. We have three extensions (taking church outside of church) as well as a vibrant new comers (new converts) class. We’re doing open gym which reaches between 40-60 unchurched kids each month. There’s the food bank which serves over 200 families a month. Our outreach revival was an enormous success bringing folks into the church who would not have come through traditional means. With all of this growth have come some growing pains. Kids who have never been to church don’t always know how to act in this environment. Our comfort zone has been obliterated. These are all good things and I believe they are necessary for the church to grow. Remember, the message is sacred, not the method.

On the flip side (and probably because of my district involvement), I see WAAAAY too much pettiness and politics in our fellowship. Folks, our job is to reach out to the world with the love of Christ. Yet, we can fall so love with the past that we become irrelevant today. Allow me to touch the third rail for just a moment. Are we really going to split our fellowship over television? Really? I have talked to folks in and out of church and the ministry and, for the most part, they are aghast that there are those who think that this is the most pressing issue of our time and worthy of a schism. Yet, all you have to do is read any number of chat boards (no link love from me) to see that there are those who are completely exorcised about this. If you don’t want television, don’t use it. But the world is crying out for help while we bicker at each other over an obsolete technology that is available via IPTV and the internet. Game over!

I have been chewing on this for nearly two years, ever since I heard Matt Maddix at Louisiana camp preach on this subject. We are incredibly fond of keeping ourselves unspotted from the world (as we should be) but how about the rest of that verse? How are we stacking up? Are we playing church or do we have pure religion? Points to ponder.

I mention all this because I am feeling challenged in what I am doing for Christ. I don’t want to play church. I want to be the church.

These days, spirituality is in. People want to be spiritual, not religious. Spirituality can mean some sort of oozy transcendence, or mystical experience, or meaningful living. Spirituality can involve Eastern meditation, or happy self-talk, or wearing crystals, or burning incense, or whatever you’d like. Spirituality is rather like a Burger King Whopper: you can have it your way.

For the Christian, spirituality is much more specific than this. It is, quite literally, Spirit-uality. It is life lived in the Holy Spirit. It is living each day by the power of God’s Spirit who dwells within us. It is experiencing God, not in whichever way you choose, but in the God’s way through God’s own Spirit. Genuine spirituality is fellowship with the Holy Spirit. It happens as you read the Spirit-inspired Word, or as you join the Spirit-filled gathering of God’s people, or as you quiet yourself to hear the still, small voice of the Spirit. True spirituality is not merely some private, other-worldly experience. It is also a this-worldly encounter with the Spirit that we share with other believers. It includes, as Pastor John taught last week, ministering to others in the power of the Spirit.

-Mark Roberts, Senior Director and Scholar in Residence, Laity Lodge

(With apologies to Mark Pryor for stealing his format)