Clay in the Hands

I was reminded this weekend that the church is more than this building or that building – and yes, even bigger than this congregation or that congregation or even this denomination or that denomination!  You hear church growth strategists use the terminology “doing church.”  I have to confess that I have even used those words in describing how we do things in the church.  But I have since come to think that it is a horrible way to describe church and the work therein.

We are to BE the church.  Saturday I had a chance to be with a couple of thousand people BEING the church.  They were all ages, all nationalities and all faith groups.  I guess there is something about standing in 98 degree temperatures in the middle of the desert and listening to Christian music that pulls people together (or maybe it is just the rock and roll).

We were at Rock the Desert and it was an awesome display of the church.  There were all kinds of people there.  In all reality, it was not the desert or the heat or even the rock and roll, but the One True Messiah that brought all those people together!  Everyone, for two days, set there structures aside to worship together.  That is the church – that is God’s people BEING the church!

And yes, there was ministry happening as well.  People were praying, serving and testifying about God’s good news of hope and love.  People were rescued from a life of devastation and misery.  Lives were changed and mine was one of them.  I firmly believe the Bible teaches that when we come into the realization of God’s presence, we walk away changed.

It happens – I’ve seen it – and I’ve got to share it with all who will listen!

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There is a funeral going on at our church today for a saint who passed away after 104 years of life on this earth!  What an amazing accomplishment.

I can’t even imagine the amount and types of change Bessie has encountered in her 104 years here on earth.  She has seen two world wars, and many others.  The change in transportation from horse drawn transportation to cars.  From the source of enternainment being the radio to the TV networks we have today.

All kinds of change.  It boggles my mind to even think about what she has experienced.  What I take away from that is that change is going to occur – we can’t control it.  All we can do is try and understand it and adapt to it and keep going.  Hopefully we can even learn to enjoy it.

I have been in a conference for a week hearing about all kinds of changes coming, many in the area of technology, that will affect the church.  My prayer is that each of our churches will adapt and keep going.  God called us to meet the people where they are and that means following Jesus’ example and going to them.   We must never forget to keep the main thing the main thing – the truth of the Gospel never changes but the way we minister to people and show them that Gospel does.  We will have to change some things or become obsolete and ineffective.  But that is life – change happens.

What will we do?

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Jesus was a rebel.  He challenged the systems of the day.  He came and turned traditional religion on it’s ear.  The Jewish faith had evolved into quite a system.  The attitude of the Jewish religion had become something like, “God has given us the truth, we have it, you need it and when you decide to come get it, you will know where to find it.”  Paul battled this mentality as well when he began taking the Gospel to the gentiles.  The Jewish Christians struggled with gentiles becoming Christians.  They expected the gentiles to first become Jews and then they could become Christians – “start doing things the way we do them and then we will let you into the club.”

Sound familiar?  Do we ever have the attitude that we have the corner on what God offers and if others want it, then they can come and become like us and we will then share it with them?

Jesus turned that mentality upside down.  He took the truth to the people where they were and he calls us to do the same.  That may mean that we have to go somewhere we would not normally go.  Or it may mean that we may have to offer things at church that may not fit our tastes so that others will be drawn in.  We have got to get past the idea that we have the corner on the Gospel and that all others should just become like us in order to have it.  Jesus took the truth to folks where they were and accepted them as they were – should we not do the same?

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I have been thinking a lot lately about what a church should look like – how it should reach out and how it should disciple those within.  I’ve been thinking about the balance between evangelism, ministry and discipleship.  I am still working through my thoughts on all of this but one thing I know for sure – the church must never turn inward and stop focusing on God and the people God sent Jesus to die for so many years ago.

I was in a conference a few years ago and had the pleasure of hearing Reggie McNeal speak.  He told a story of how he had been hired to consult with a church about how they could reach out into the community more effectively.  When he arrived at the church, he checked a sign in the entry way that listed all the meetings going on at the church that evening to find the room in which he was to meet.  He noticed that in the room next to his meeting was another meeting regarding facilities.

When he got to his meeting room he asked what the meeting next door was about.  He was told that the other meeting was dealing with how to stop the wear and tear on their facility caused by so many people from the community using the building.

Wow!  What a vivid picture!  One group wanting to reach out and another wanting to keep people out.  But before you or I get too pious, are our churches that different?  Do we truly want to reach out and bring people in?  Or do we feel more comfortable reaching out as long as “those” people stay right where they are?

I am not positive, but I think when everyone in the church decides that the task of the church is to reach out and bring people in  – then we will see a church that makes a difference.

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I had the unique opportunity yesterday to be interviewed by the local Fox affiliate as part of a story they were doing over the use of Twitter in our community.  Dave Quinn has done, and continues to do, an amazing job with the City of Levelland in the area of economic development.  He has been encouraging area businesses and community leaders to become more involved in the social media realm.  So Fox came out to interview him and others in the community who are using social media – specifically Twitter.

All that to say, it has prompted several conversations with different folks about the usefulness and benefit of social media – particularly in the church world.  I am interested to hear your comments on this.  I ask that you take the time today to leave me a comment with your thoughts on the subject.  

I believe that if we are going to stay on the forefront, as a church, with the changing world, we have to learn to communicate with the world.  As I see it, a transition is going to have to happen in the mindset of many of our folks.  What has been seen as a waste of time (blogging, Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc) has now become crucial.  I believe that what was once seen as a diversion from the daily work we should be doing, this very thing has become (or at least is becoming) our daily work.  

I would not have ever jumped off into the social media scene had I not been convinced that this is the way our world is moving.  Now I am passionate more than ever that this is one way (albeit just one way) that we can reach people for Christ.

I would really love to hear your thoughts on this issue.

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I just had the best meeting with a gentleman in our church.  He lost his wife a few months ago and we have gotten to know each other a little better through that experience and since.  In one of our conversations a few months ago, he told me about his career and how he had spent his life working in the electrical industry.  

I mentioned that we are always needing people knowledgeable in that area on our mission trips.  He said that he could not attend and participate in a trip like that but he would be happy to help if he could in some other way.  Marvin does great getting around but he uses a walker to assist him and so he didn’t feel that a construction site would be the place for him.  I told him we always have plenty of help but not always the needed knowledge so if he could design the electrical layout of the house, we could probably take it from there.

This past Sunday, Marvin came and found me.  He wanted to know if I still needed him to help with the electrical plan.  I told him I did and so today, I took him the floor plan.  He took the plan and began to tell me how he would design the layout and color code it so that anyone could pick it up and understand what needs to be done.  

It was in that moment that I was reminded that it takes all of us.  The key is understanding who we are and what God has called us to do and then the most important element of that formula – actually getting involved and doing it.  Thanks Marvin for reminding me, once again, that everyone has a part in God’s plan.  

You are truly an inspiration to me.  You reminded me that everyone has a part to play and that in order for the plan to work, we all have to do our part.

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