Good Friday to you! TGIF…right.
Here are my 5 observations for the week. Some perhaps more useful than others to you. Some or maybe all not useful at all.
So, lets dive in.
1. There will always be groups of people who want to keep folks who break the unwritten rules of the mold on the outside.
This is unfortunate. We have a tendency to hold with a clenched fist peripheral things and hold with an open hand things that should be guarded with our lives.
Some people see our church and us as individual parts of that church as important to the community of Rome/Floyd County, and many of these are not Christians. This is due to our engagement of real and serious problems in the community as Christians who are seeking to apply real solutions in repairing what is broken while not hiding the fact that we believe we are to make disciples of Jesus.
Some people in Christian sub-cultures want to keep us as a church and some individuals at a distance because we represent something different and not part of the status quo.
I just find it odd that there is sometimes more acceptance from non-Christians than from Christians. It’s not the gospel. We are clear we believe Jesus is the way, the only way to salvation and that God’s word is true while containing no mixture of error. We believe it and seek its application in every domain of society.
Strange.
2. Temptation seems to come in waves of temporary assaults. Temptation is not often constant never letting up. Temptation seems to come in all out assaults at times then disappear at other times. I’m sure this is a tactic of the Enemy, and maybe I should take better notes of the times that temptations come, but they come in waves.
Maybe this is good intelligence to help us plan on fighting in waves. Gather up the necessary tools to fight those waves at the times the waves come.
Just a thought.
3. We teach domain engagement and practice domain engagement in our church as opposed to programs. We don’t run programs. Programs have designated leaders and can be limited and can limit a church to its building. Engaging domains releases the entire congregation to a local and global playground of opportunity for the gospel. Still, however, it’s easy to slip back into thinking about programs to consume not domains that need the gospel of the kingdom.
The shift from programs to domains has organizational implications. It changes how you organize for work and what work is undertaken. It is much more self-forming and Spirit led, as your members take ownership and responsibility for action (Release Training Manual, p. 34).
Ask: What if the whole church were the missionary? Don’t loose that question.
4. Numbers 29 has lots of blood. Lot. Of. Blood. 8 days to celebrate the day of atonement. Lots of animals getting slaughtered every day. Lots of blood.
I like to hunt. Processing a harvested animal is bloody. But that’s just one animal.
Lots. Of. Blood. I couldn’t get that off of my mind as I read that passage this morning. But then I was reminded of Hebrews. Then Hebrews 10:4, 10, 14 all came to remembrance…Thank you Holy Spirit.
Hebrews 10:4-14 (ESV) For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,
“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body have you prepared for me;
6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings
you have taken no pleasure.
7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God,
as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’”
8 When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), 9 then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. 10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
All that animal blood couldn’t do it. All that blood repeated couldn’t do it. The pattern was set though. There had to be a payment and man and animal couldn’t do it. Enter Jesus! The eternal Son. The God/Man. Jesus pays it all in one sacrifice. Verse 14 gives me glory bumps.
5. I let dumb stuff bother me too easy. Just had a revelatory moment when I realized that dumb stuff don’t matter. You know what’s dumb for you. I know what’s dumb for me. What matters most matters not dumb stuff. Don’t let dumb stuff keep you from the most important stuff.
Example: being kept out of Christian subcultures but welcomed into non Christian subcultures. That’s really what I want. I want those outside to repent and believe. Got to be with folks and let them know how to come into the Kingdom. Duh.
Hey, maybe one of these 5 helped you along and maybe sharpened your focus a bit.
Great Friday to you, and happy weekend!
Theology in the Dirt 