Can communities of faith (the Church) really save the world?!
Wow! What a question! But I will try to answer that question, with another question. When did we (the body of Christ) stop believing we could redeem God’s world back to him?!
As a church we have begun asking ourselves, what does it mean to really be a revolutionary community of faith… some of the answers have actually become more questions. But we can’t stop asking nor trying to be agents of change.
We just had to become visionary in our new skin and wine, as Jesus talked about…
(Matt. 9:16-17). NIV
16“No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. 17Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”
God is doing a new thing!! The church just has to catch up! So discover your God-given abilities of grace and love! Journey with us, as we, a community of faith decide to understand what it means to “preserve” the life changing power of God’s grace, that is for ALL of God’s creation…
Concerning the photo! I’ve been on a lifelong journey to find the real Jesus… it so happens he vacations down in Orlando, Florida! And he actually found ME!!!
Rich
May 15th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
I think the analogy of the “new wine skins” is a really helpful way to frame what the church of the future will look like. Its the concept of bring the “ancient future” to us all.
May 19th, 2008 at 9:09 pm
i suggest that the question is not, CAN the church? but WHY HASNT the church? im glad we are moving in a missional direction that will surely change the church which will hopefully result in saving the world in whatever ways that means and we see necessary. and what was jesus doing in florida? maybe the rapture is a real concept and he took up all the retired people. just a guess.
May 28th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
I’m excited to see a new conceptualization of Christianity catch on. The popular focus on the afterlife and the “our way or the highway” mentality obviously hasn’t done much to bring God’s love to the world. MG’s insistence that we be responsive to culture and genuinely IN the world making a difference… now that I think has tremendous potential.
There’s another excellent application of the wineskin analogy that I would like to share (follow the link). Basically, we need to expect better things and believe that God wants success for us. We need a new mindset (wineskin) that thinks of our God as an abundant provider. If we’re thinking negatively, feeling like we can’t “redeem God’s world back to him”, then we probably won’t. He won’t pour new blessings into an old mindset. I think it’s quite possible to bring this world into accord with God’s plan. Anybody with me?
May 28th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
bravo lauren, well put
May 28th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
I think thats an excellent observation. We can’t receive if we aren’t expecting. I think there is a lot of value in understanding God as a provider. It’s tough to do that though b/c its easier to focus on the negative than the positive that is being provided. Im totally with you, and I am going to really try and see the positive in the next few weeks over the negative.