House Church Talk - Purposeful Church....

[jim sutton]

"Bruce Woodford" wrote:

>By way of contrast, is it not true that whenever we are walking (consciously 
>or inconsciously) in bondage to religious systems or in friendship with this 
>world,    we will be WASTING time that could be invested for eternity, 
> WANDERING with no vision and missing out on many divine appointments for 
>ministry because we are conformed to this WORLD and its' ways?


Hi, Bruce.

Interesting thoughts and questions raised.  Paul also makes a series of 
comments that I find very interesting.  He says, in part-- 


Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to 
bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ,  and to make 
everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who 
created all things; so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich 
variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly 
places.  (grabbed from Ephesians 3:8-10)

Note especially that last verse (v10): "so that through the church the wisdom 
of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and 
authorities in the heavenly places."

It is through the church that we humans also see the rich variety of God's 
wisdom.   For He works in so many different kinds of ways, through very 
different people, in many different kinds of places and cultures.  


I for one do not believe -- to use your words -- that any man (or woman) is 
"in bondage to a religious system" if they truly know the Lord.  And I realize 
you may not be trying to go there.  But we do, too often, see in hc 
fellowships a mindset that portrays everyone in tradional, denominational, or 
even independent IC churches as somehow "still bound to the system."

Granted they may be made to feel obligated to many things we would find silly, 
unnecessary, even wrong.  But who among us is perfect?  We human beings tend 
to always attach great significance to our own ideas, our own ways, our own 
habits.  And that is how new traditions are born -- even hc traditions, such 
as we all see around us.

But I do like your idea of a purposeful church, one driven by God Himself, and 
not by the marketing ideas of modern religion. To me, the greater problem of 
such programs as offered by the "purpose-driven" church thinking is that it 
misleads and so discourages the believer from simply following God.  And that 
is what every true son or daughter of God wantes to do -- follow God.

The modern church programs are all built around the perceived problem of 
numbers, or the lack thereof.  They want to gather in large crowds of people. 
 So the believers end up getting the notion that the Christian life is about 
numbers and large buildings, TV coverage, radio coverage, and showy results.

But the true calling of God is not numbers, at all. It's about being a true 
and faithful witness, no matter what happens.  Many faithful men and women of 
God in Scripture had tragic results, some even losing their lives for their 
testimony -- even as the Lord Himself was put to death.  Not a flattering end 
to a life of faithful testimony to the truth.

God calls each of us to be a witness.  He does not lay on us any 
responsibility for saving the world.  We are simply to tell everyone, to take 
the message outside the walls (of whatever) to all.  But we are not judged by 
God according to who or how many responds positively to what we say.  Rather, 
we we simply give an acoount for what we say and how we live.

Jim