Thursday, February 23, 2012

Thy Kingdom Come

For God was pleased to have his fullness dwell in Jesus, and through Jesus to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.   Colossians 1:19-20

Our destination is community transformation, not church growth!  Growing a Christ-centered church is a means to the God-designed end of aiding in the fulfillment of the Great Commission. 

Our natural corporate drift will always be inward, looking how to build a better church, but if our current study of Living in the Dust of the Rabbi is teaching us anythings, we are learning that Jesus didn't come to establish great churches.  As Colossians 1:19-20 reminds us, He was on a mission to reconcile all things.

Think about that for a moment.  Jesus came not only to reconcile broken human relationships, but also broken human systems.  That is why at PCC we must gather weekly, worship accurately, love and serve each other biblically, grow robustly -- so that we can be empowered to stand up and get involved in the broken systems in our community.  The Kingdom of God demands this!  It is for this very reason and this very call on us as a body that I will fight for us to grow into our maximized redemptive potential as a church.  Not so we can just be a great church, (who wants to give their lives to that?), but so that we can join Jesus in developing great communities, locally and around the world.

Our friend Reggie McNeal said it well in his book, Missional Renaissance:

"The church is made up of missionaries, who live their lives with the idea that they are on a mission trip.  On mission trips, people focus on the work of God around them, alert to the Spirit's prompting, usually serving people in very tangible ways, often in a way that involves some sacrifice or even discomfort.   Life on mission is more intentional and more integrated.  The church is not the destination; the kingdom is the destination.  Jesus does not say, "Thy church come."  He spends 40 days before His ascension teaching about the kingdom.  Acts closes with the kingdom.  Jesus uses "church" twice, but "kingdom" 90 times.  When the kingdom breaks out, things change.  People's lives get radically altered; their entire worlds get re-ordered."

This weekend we will continue our journey in the dust looking at the back end of Luke 4.  Read up, pray up and come hungry, looking to serve this Sunday.  I look forward to being with you.

I love being your pastor!