Pete passionately states several things about church:
1. It's not a building
2. It's not programs
3. It's not the style of worship
His metaphor is a shocker-I would more liken it to a spiritual drug that the church has created with it's culture. And unfortunately for those of us who lead her today, we bare responsibility for her addiction to the things that she thinks she must have.
Tell me, are these things being the church:
1. Ministering to children who have no parents or a being raised by grandparents?
2. Taking food to people who have no food?
3. Giving clothes to those who need warmth?
4. Providing shelter for those who have no home?
5. Praying daily for the sick and infirm?
6. Meeting people in the community where they are, instead of at the church?
How about my friends with church starts that have no building to meet in except on Sunday? Can they be the church without a permanent home? (The answer is yes and perhaps they are more "church" than those with established homes).
I'm thankful for Pete's honesty and you can see by the 88 plus comments that his passion resonates with people who want to "be the church" instead of just going to church.
Your thoughts...how did this strike you?
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4 comments:
i love it when someone speaks truth. truth is what we all really need. a great question to ask ourselves. are we playing? or are we being? and if we really think we are being, what are we doing? anything that resembles what Jesus himself was doing? its great to check ourselves. sure makes me think.
For me, if I had to stop doing everything "for church" and only focus on one thing...
It would be hanging out at Starbucks. It is my heart's discontent.
I strongly believe that I am being church when I am hugging the Muslim co-worker woman who just had a miscarriage this week.
I am being church when I am listening to the lonely transvestite (waiting for sex change surgery) cry over how much hatred is spewed at her/him.
I am being the church when I hold hands with a gal at work who had an affair; as she and her husband are struggling to put their marriage back together.
Everything I do “at church” is done with the same purpose. Again…
Entice the skeptic, challenge the lukewarm and spark passion in the believer to reach out to His lost children…
It is everything I am for Him…
You're going to get us both in trouble re-posting this kind of stuff. :)
Thanks Jim!
Pete.
The funny thing is that I had been mulling a post like this for days and hadn't finished it. When I read yours I thought--why not say "what Pete said!"
Thanks for your authenticity... it's one of the things I like about you!
See ya in a few weeks
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