Emergent
There is a lot of hype these days about the so called "emergent church" movement. Like any movement it has few clearly defined boundaries and even its followers would disagree about defining it. Like any movement there is good and bad associated with it.
I find much of the theology that seems to be taught by many of the so called leaders of this movement to be questionable at best, heretical at worst. Yet, the emergent church does have something to say. It's really nothing new, and is only emergent in the sense that it is another wave, but there is something they hold dear that we need to consider.
Despite its questionable theology in places, the emergent church seems to have recognized that the church is not effectively engaging our world. For too long now, too many Christians have been content to sit in our little churches (or even our big churches), tut-tut about the state of the world and wonder why people aren't coming into our gatherings to "get saved".
We have forgotten the Great Commission or at least have relegated it to some form of liturgy that all Christians know but few actually pay attention to. Jesus was very specific in His direction...
Matthew 28:18-20 NIV
Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
He did not tell us "Sit in your pews and hope someone shows up". The command was to go (and keep going) until the task was finished.
We need to be living lives that reflect the difference that Christ made. We need to be loving our neighbors and heaven-forbid interacting with non-Christians. We need to be salt and light in a dark and hurting world.
We need to stand for the truth in a murky world. We need to hold firm to what we believe and be willing to defend it even as we accept the rights of others to reject Jesus.
Now, I know that we all know these things, but, we're not very good at doing them. They might be "emergent" but they are at least as old as the gospel.
The emergent church says we must be more missional in our approach and less institutional. That's true but it's not news. Jesus didn't tell us to go build large organizations and have fancy buildings. There is nothing wrong with good organizations and having buildings but they must be tools to support the work of the kingdom not the center of our focus.
Christians worry about the color of the carpets or the style of music when all around us people are going to hell. We wonder why our culture is degrading but we don't engage it with truth. There is something inherently wrong with the picture of the church as it exists when compared to the vision Christ gave us.
Now don't misunderstand me. I'm not against the church; I love her because she is the bride of Christ. I don't think that organized religion (if we can call it that) is dead or without merit. I simply believe that we often get our priorities wrong.
I truly believe that most Christians have a love for Jesus and a desire to see the lost found but we have gotten a little off track. I believe that if we started to actually do the things that Christ commanded us, things like...
Matthew 22:37b-40 NIV
"`Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: `Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
... we'd see a revival the likes of which has never been seen. God's church is a slumbering giant. When the giant rubs the sleep from its eyes and does what Jesus calls it to do even the very gates of hell will not prevail.
It's time my friends. It's time to go out and preach the truth at all costs.
Kevin
There is a lot of hype these days about the so called "emergent church" movement. Like any movement it has few clearly defined boundaries and even its followers would disagree about defining it. Like any movement there is good and bad associated with it.
I find much of the theology that seems to be taught by many of the so called leaders of this movement to be questionable at best, heretical at worst. Yet, the emergent church does have something to say. It's really nothing new, and is only emergent in the sense that it is another wave, but there is something they hold dear that we need to consider.
Despite its questionable theology in places, the emergent church seems to have recognized that the church is not effectively engaging our world. For too long now, too many Christians have been content to sit in our little churches (or even our big churches), tut-tut about the state of the world and wonder why people aren't coming into our gatherings to "get saved".
We have forgotten the Great Commission or at least have relegated it to some form of liturgy that all Christians know but few actually pay attention to. Jesus was very specific in His direction...
Matthew 28:18-20 NIV
Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
He did not tell us "Sit in your pews and hope someone shows up". The command was to go (and keep going) until the task was finished.
We need to be living lives that reflect the difference that Christ made. We need to be loving our neighbors and heaven-forbid interacting with non-Christians. We need to be salt and light in a dark and hurting world.
We need to stand for the truth in a murky world. We need to hold firm to what we believe and be willing to defend it even as we accept the rights of others to reject Jesus.
Now, I know that we all know these things, but, we're not very good at doing them. They might be "emergent" but they are at least as old as the gospel.
The emergent church says we must be more missional in our approach and less institutional. That's true but it's not news. Jesus didn't tell us to go build large organizations and have fancy buildings. There is nothing wrong with good organizations and having buildings but they must be tools to support the work of the kingdom not the center of our focus.
Christians worry about the color of the carpets or the style of music when all around us people are going to hell. We wonder why our culture is degrading but we don't engage it with truth. There is something inherently wrong with the picture of the church as it exists when compared to the vision Christ gave us.
Now don't misunderstand me. I'm not against the church; I love her because she is the bride of Christ. I don't think that organized religion (if we can call it that) is dead or without merit. I simply believe that we often get our priorities wrong.
I truly believe that most Christians have a love for Jesus and a desire to see the lost found but we have gotten a little off track. I believe that if we started to actually do the things that Christ commanded us, things like...
Matthew 22:37b-40 NIV
"`Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: `Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
... we'd see a revival the likes of which has never been seen. God's church is a slumbering giant. When the giant rubs the sleep from its eyes and does what Jesus calls it to do even the very gates of hell will not prevail.
It's time my friends. It's time to go out and preach the truth at all costs.
Kevin
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