Comments on: A Simpler View of the Church http://aboutleading.com/2008/05/28/a-simpler-view-of-the-church/ the personal blog of Gary Mayes, CRM Vice President of US Ministries Fri, 24 Jun 2011 04:55:57 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Dave Rietveld http://aboutleading.com/2008/05/28/a-simpler-view-of-the-church/comment-page-1/#comment-66 Dave Rietveld Sat, 18 Jul 2009 06:49:43 +0000 http://aboutleading.com/?p=41#comment-66 There is no doubt that the church has actually become distracted by the things you mention, i.e. denominational distinctives, etc. I agree, from the outside looking in, we have to look and act like a community to the rest of the world, but from the inside looking out, we also need to be community minded as well. The latter is the most important and the rest will take care of itself. There is no doubt the joy is in the giving, and those churches that don't discover or realize that from the start are doomed before they start. They are missing the whole point of the gospel message and the final mandate from Christ himself. To share life within the Body is wonderful and the community of believers is a great haven in which to experience that. However, this coin has two sides... to really experience the heart of God for the those who have not yet received His forgiving grace, is the greatest joy and fulfillment any community of believers can experience. It is those new followers who become the catalyst for carrying on the "mission" in a fresh and exciting way. Their gratitude for experiencing God's grace in their lives, firsthand, is something that can never be duplicated and this then makes the community complete....a community of mature believers, plus those growing and discovering all what knowing God is all about and plus those new believers who provide a fresh and exciting childlike joy for the whole community. If we as a church ever loses sight of the mission, I believe it is a direct reflection of how that heart beats in the lives of its members and leaders.The opposite is true as well, and I hope we, as community, continue to experience God's joy in seeing His people carry out that mission. Otherwise, what is the point? There is no doubt that the church has actually become distracted by the things you mention, i.e. denominational distinctives, etc. I agree, from the outside looking in, we have to look and act like a community to the rest of the world, but from the inside looking out, we also need to be community minded as well. The latter is the most important and the rest will take care of itself.

There is no doubt the joy is in the giving, and those churches that don’t discover or realize that from the start are doomed before they start. They are missing the whole point of the gospel message and the final mandate from Christ himself. To share life within the Body is wonderful and the community of believers is a great haven in which to experience that.

However, this coin has two sides… to really experience the heart of God for the those who have not yet received His forgiving grace, is the greatest joy and fulfillment any community of believers can experience. It is those new followers who become the catalyst for carrying on the “mission” in a fresh and exciting way. Their gratitude for experiencing God’s grace in their lives, firsthand, is something that can never be duplicated and this then makes the community complete….a community of mature believers, plus those growing and discovering all what knowing God is all about and plus those new believers who provide a fresh and exciting childlike joy for the whole community. If we as a church ever loses sight of the mission, I believe it is a direct reflection of how that heart beats in the lives of its members and leaders.The opposite is true as well, and I hope we, as community, continue to experience God’s joy in seeing His people carry out that mission. Otherwise, what is the point?

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