Did you know that God wants your life to flourish? It's true. The language that Jesus uses is "bearing fruit" or experiencing an "abundant life." Contrary to popular opinion, God is not a curmudgeon who enjoys holding people down or bringing discomfort into their lives. Unfortunately, religion tends to complicate the matter. Religion adds unnecessary layers of complexity to what Jesus actually made fairly simple. Here's the formula Jesus offers: I am the vine. You are the branches. Abide in me and you will bear much fruit. Then you will experience my joy. Far from being a drudgery, obedience to Jesus is the key to flourishing in life.
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Redwood trees are among the tallest living things on earth. They can grow up to 400 feet in height (35 story building). But they don't reach these towering heights by sinking their roots deep into the ground. The roots actually only go down 6-12 feet and yet these trees rarely fall over. They w/ stand winds, earthquakes, fires, storms, and flooding. How can something weigh up to 500 tons, reach over 350 feet in height, and live for many centuries with roots only going down about 10 feet? Their root system is intertwined w/ other redwood trees. Interlocked. YOU: A healthy church is like the redwood trees. We grow taller and stronger -- we are better people when we connect as community. I love the fact that we have small groups who provide meals for each other whenever one of their members needs help. I love the fact that we…
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The church tradition I grew up in tended to name their churches after their city or street. While church names matter, what we believe about the church matters even more. Myth 1: The church is merely a human organization. Though most of us are humans, the church is not merely a human organization. There is something supernatural about the church because Jesus is the head of the church. Myth 2: The church is a supermarket for spiritual groceries. In a world of supermarkets, we like options and the freedom to choose. We often treat the church as if it were just one of many supermarkets that provide us with spiritual groceries. This has led to a Christian culture that regards church shopping and hopping as normal. Eventually, this leads to church dropping because there is no relational glue. Myth 3: The church is optional. Our culture breeds us to be…
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Fifteen weeks ago we began our journey through 1 Corinthians. We explored together God's prescription for his new community, the church. The picture wasn't always pretty. But that's typical of any story that involves people. We humans have a wonderful ability to mess things up. But the church, even the Corinthian church, is so much more than its messiness. It's the bride of Christ, the temple of the Holy Spirit. It was and is the hands and feet of Jesus. When people tell me they were hurt by the church, I often stop them and say: You were hurt by a church but not the church. The difference matters. All churches in their human expressions are flawed because people are flawed. But in many of them something wonderful happens when, despite their imperfections, God shows himself in their service, sacrifice, and compassion.
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Words matter because words have meaning. We taught our daughters when they were younger to not say "I hate you" when they were simply displeased about something. Not liking a decision is much different than hating a person. Words matter. That's why I'm done with asking someone, "Where do you go to church?" Instead, I'm going to ask them, "What church are you a part of?" Now it is possible — you have the option – as a Christ-follower to waste your life. To spend it fiddling around with the mundane. You also have the opportunity to invest yourself in a movement that matters and that movement is the church. But it will require a shift in thinking for many of us. We often get asked, “What church do you go to?” It's just like asking, “What grocery store do you go to?” or "Which recreation center do you work…
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