So we are now starting the discussion of the 7 laws of the Upper Room. The subtitle here is: Real Church Growth Starts with a culture of Mission, not Worship.
I like that we are reminded here that the mission is to 'go'. We have our signs to remind everyone that they are now entering the mission field yet I know that coming to church is a comfort. Which it should be! This is where the Lord comes to meet us. So there isn't anything wrong with coming to church and I liked the quote on page 110 about Acts 6 - "We are going to delegate our internal activities in order to devote ourselves entirely to external activities."
Is our worship helping you go out and live the Jesus Adventure? If not, what needs to change?
Stephen.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting chapter. It reminds me of the age-old question: What came first, the chicken or the egg? The answer = God.
Mancini (p. 100) - "...when we join the mission and live it out, worship always follows in its wake." Sounds like the Jesus Adventure to me!
Mancini mentions the 80% rule concerning the church's time, energy, and effort as it relates to "making Sunday morning happen." I wonder if we could measure (even quickly ballpark) our (the church's side) percentage?
Did anyone else bristle - even a little - at the following (p. 104), "Jesus was a man on a mission from God"? This section makes Jesus sound a bit more like an exceptional, human leader than God, Himself. Sorry, detour.
Mancini clearly states the mission on page 105 - "It is to go, proclaim the kingdom, and heal." Is this our mission today? The first two steps - pretty clear to me. I wonder what going out to "heal" looks like for me...for us? Is it a cool cup of water, a meal, a few bucks, lending an ear, a moment of time? In the Jesus Adventure, we learn that it is imperative for us to come alongside our neighbors and develop relationships.
How do we, St. Luke's, as fellow Brothers and Sisters in Christ, become a culture of living a life on mission? I am anxious to take this journey with you.