On Monday I got the opportunity to hear Randel Everett, the executive director of the BGCT, speak at the Engage XP conference in Belton. Here are the notes that I took from his message. Granted there is some of my own commentary mixed in, but the ideas came from Randel.
How do we come together as congregations and enjoy the joy of the Lord? It seems that when we come together anymore, it is more like business as usual, as mundane. It could be said that it is lifeless. It is lifeless people who have been gathered with the purpose of winning a lifeless people to Christ. In Luke 15 Jesus shares three significant stories. The joy of serving Christ is seeing the transformation in the lives of people by the power of Christ. Until we see life change, we will not experience the power of Christ or the joy of Jesus. If we would just understand Jesus' purpose, to seek and save, and His message, and do it, then we would experience the joy of Christ. Jesus says that He came to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19). In the parable of the lost son, we, the church, are the older brother. That son was invited to the celebration but it is not said if he joins the party. We have been invited to the joy of life transformation and celebrating life transformation. Will we accept the invitation? There is great rejoicing over one sinner who is saved. Is this happening among the church today? Is there celebration when one person comes to Christ? The church is faster to question genuine life change than to join in the celebration and join in growing this person in their new life. Just like the older brother, we become jealous over people coming to faith in Christ because the attention is no longer on us. Like a child, we reason that even negative attention is still attention. Can we not celebrate when someone passes from death to life? Would we not cancel the funeral if the dead person were raised to life? Of course we would!! Jesus spent His time among the dead. He spent His time amount those who were in need of salvation. People who needed real life that comes through genuine faith. Those people of "faith" looked down their nose at Jesus for this. We need to say, as the church, that Jesus' ministry is our ministry -- to seek and to save the lost. The difference is that Jesus cared about people, His sheep, and the church, the bride of Christ, does not. When we make our mission the same as Jesus, we will begin to care about people again. The key to Jesus' parables in Luke 15 is that the lost were sought out. There is diligence involved in the search. Are we searching diligently for the downcast sheep of our churches? Most of the downcast sheep in our churches are downcast for a reason. They are in need of someone to come and help them get back on their feet.
What a challenging message. This is what is at the heart of crashing into life. It is doing those things that are so radically different from the norm. That what Jesus did, and that is what Jesus calls his followers to do...crash into life.
How do we come together as congregations and enjoy the joy of the Lord? It seems that when we come together anymore, it is more like business as usual, as mundane. It could be said that it is lifeless. It is lifeless people who have been gathered with the purpose of winning a lifeless people to Christ. In Luke 15 Jesus shares three significant stories. The joy of serving Christ is seeing the transformation in the lives of people by the power of Christ. Until we see life change, we will not experience the power of Christ or the joy of Jesus. If we would just understand Jesus' purpose, to seek and save, and His message, and do it, then we would experience the joy of Christ. Jesus says that He came to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19). In the parable of the lost son, we, the church, are the older brother. That son was invited to the celebration but it is not said if he joins the party. We have been invited to the joy of life transformation and celebrating life transformation. Will we accept the invitation? There is great rejoicing over one sinner who is saved. Is this happening among the church today? Is there celebration when one person comes to Christ? The church is faster to question genuine life change than to join in the celebration and join in growing this person in their new life. Just like the older brother, we become jealous over people coming to faith in Christ because the attention is no longer on us. Like a child, we reason that even negative attention is still attention. Can we not celebrate when someone passes from death to life? Would we not cancel the funeral if the dead person were raised to life? Of course we would!! Jesus spent His time among the dead. He spent His time amount those who were in need of salvation. People who needed real life that comes through genuine faith. Those people of "faith" looked down their nose at Jesus for this. We need to say, as the church, that Jesus' ministry is our ministry -- to seek and to save the lost. The difference is that Jesus cared about people, His sheep, and the church, the bride of Christ, does not. When we make our mission the same as Jesus, we will begin to care about people again. The key to Jesus' parables in Luke 15 is that the lost were sought out. There is diligence involved in the search. Are we searching diligently for the downcast sheep of our churches? Most of the downcast sheep in our churches are downcast for a reason. They are in need of someone to come and help them get back on their feet.
What a challenging message. This is what is at the heart of crashing into life. It is doing those things that are so radically different from the norm. That what Jesus did, and that is what Jesus calls his followers to do...crash into life.
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