I have a dream… of a church that knows the Living God, that loves His holy Word, that takes up its cross and joyfully serves this world which it has been called to be salt and light within. This church would bear in itself the beating heart of Christ Himself, which pours itself out for the poor and afflicted, takes up the case of the widow and the orphan, the kicked upon and marginalized, the sin-broken and needy. This church would be a place where bones broken by sin can be mended, where hungry souls can be fed, lost souls can be found, and aimless souls be given direction. This church would demand people to be who they are, not a picture of who they think they should be, so that the transformative power of the Holy Spirit may be carried out in their lives in truth. There would be no need to strut about in this church with a false sense of strength and security, because God would dwell with us as our strength in the midst of weakness and our sure hope in the face of an uncertain world. This church will not tolerate the love of riches or the pursuit thereof that consumes this culture, but will be generous with the fruit of their labor as the Lord commands, they will live by faith in the providence of a loving and almighty God, so that the world around would be perplexed by a community not consumed by the love of things but constrained by the love of Christ that calls them to be the servants of all men, and in so doing courageously takes hold of the imperishable treasure awaiting them in eternity. This church would be humble, knowing well that God’s grace alone has given them reprieve from the crushing power of sin, they will not look at their work and enlarge their hearts with pride, but they will raise their hands thankfully to heaven that they have been made worthy to serve the Living God, knowing that the perfect work of God is miraculously carried out by imperfect people. Here, in this dwelling not made with bricks and stones, or the work of any man’s hands, but made with souls made pure through the precious blood of Jesus, the glory of God’s truth will shine out for all who have eyes to see, so that they too may join the unending chorus of the redeemed from all ages past, present, and future singing the praises of our great God and King, longing with all creation for the day when Christ returns to judge in righteousness and make all things new.
However, I am weak, and my mind is limited, and my dreams cannot capture the height and depth and splendor of what God intends for His people. I need the help of His Spirit, in the fellowship of my brothers and sisters to understand that part of this dream that He has placed in them that only they can see. They can share what they have been given, what they will gladly lay down their lives in service of; so that this vision of a church would not be the work of any man’s hands, but birthed by God and given reality through the power of His Holy Spirit, so the name of Jesus would be lifted high in all the earth.
If God has indeed called us to plant a church, He will have to confirm this as we seek diligently after Him. My hope is that God would give us a dream of this church that is bathed in His presence and sustained in His strength and established by His will. So I would ask you, how is He guiding your hearts, and what is your dream?
3 comments:
Here's the thing, I haven't heard a call yet. My heart swells when I hear your dream though, I imagine a church like this... does a church like this exist? Can the sin broken and bedraggled be that and mature? Jed, I am praying for you as you search out the dreams that God has given you. I am still waiting, listening, watching, and praying for what God has for me. But until then I will simply do what I know to do.
...and in todays average church goer this church in some sense would be "uncool"...what no creative lighting and subwoofer's. Honestly why would i want to go to such a community of miscreants and cast-a-ways. why would i want to associate myself with a bunch of crutch needen, needy fools who don't apparently get that being hip and cool and professional is in and what is desired. and what about entertainment, I WANT TO BE ENTERTAINED... i want a semi-rock concert with professional musicians to give hours of their life to the "kingdom". i want a church service that is flawless in order, that is not distracting but entertaining. i want to show up, get some free coffee, talk to some people, feel important, feel needed, feel like i belong and hear a great message that tickles my ears, that tells me what to do and then go hang out with others around some more coffee. no this will never fly. this wont even touch me... this sounds like some idealistic babble that is just another cool idea that we want to be in some spiritual lingo. honestly ya i want to be loved for who i am...but what is that anyways, church people...pastors...paid ambassadors of the cross...they are comfortable, over-worked, success driven, numbers pulling whores who cater to man's every whim and fancy. if i told you what i desire from the church most churches would perk up and go we need to incorporate this into our "worship" service.
......jed you are right to wax so eloquently...but do you have the courage to follow the true and faithful witness....be that, and be apart of what you wrote.
Do I have enough courage? That's a great question for someone who is paralyzed by cowardice more often than not. The answer is no, I do not. However, if such a church were dependent on my courage, it wouldn't be established by God's gracious movement.
But I am willing to follow Christ, I am willing for His strength to meet me in weakness. I am willing to be changed, as prone to failure as I am.
To be certain though, I am not looking to be a part of a church that caters to the average church goer. I want to be a part of a church that calls out those who have never heard the gospel and have not been exposed to its life-giving, life-altering power. I want to be a part of a church that calls to the marginal believer that loves to be entertained but is dissatisfied in his soul because in his entertainment he doesn't truly know God and is completely displaced from His mission in this world. I want to be a part of this because I need this even more than I want to be a part of building it.
Thanks for the challenging question. I would hope that as I grow I can answer with a resounding YES.
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