| ASSIMILATING OTHER CULTURE GROUPS INTO YOUR CHURCH |
| THE DREAMER WAS RIGHT:
Dr. Martin Luther King’s words still ring true: He noted that Sunday mornings in America is still the most segregated hour of the entire week. If Jesus’ prayer “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” really to be taken seriously, then churches must take another look at the church and not at the culture. We are the problem! Unfortunately, there is still a large racial divide in the North American Church and thus in the culture. The church has failed! The number challenge is to get the church out of denial. |
| Step Into Worship |
| “The true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him (John 4:23).
Each Sunday morning as we celebrate God’s presence in our worship service, I am constantly amazed how the presence of God comes into our sanctuary! It is not uncommon to see people weeping; it is not uncommon to see the peace and glory of God on faces. In his chapter on worship, author Richard Foster shares some wonderful insights that will help you to experience God in a greater way through worship.
How can we prepare for our worship experience each Sunday? Here is what Foster had to say: |
| The Value of The Church |
| In a broken world, where can we turn to find healing? In a spiritually hostile culture, where can we find a place of peace? In times when our lives are empty, where can we find a place where life has meaning? I submit to you that the church is still the greatest gift that God could give to the world! It is no wonder that Jesus called it “My Church”. If the God of the universe valued the church so much that He died for it, then it behooves us to love the thing that matters so much to God. |
| TELL ME YOUR NAME(Begin A Relationship Adventure) |
| This morning, I had a most unusual reminder from the Holy Spirit. On the way to my office here at the church, I stopped by the dry cleaners that I patronize. As usual, I pulled my vehicle to the curb and ran in for a quick drop-off. The petite lady from Korea who waited on me said “Good morning” to which I responded. I then noticed that she took the ticket and, without asking me, began writing my name down. It was at that moment that I realized that I had been coming to the same dry cleaners so often that she had come to know my name. It gave me a great feeling as I grabbed the ticket and was about to walk quickly out to my vehicle. At that moment I felt the Holy Spirit ask me the question, “Do you know who she is? I died for her.” The fact was I didn’t know because I had never bothered to ask! The sad thing for me was the fact that when I said “TELL ME YOUR NAME”, she had a surprised look on her face as if to say ‘people generally never care enough to ask’! |
| The Problem With Motion |
| We are a church in motion! Why? Because God is a moving God! Sure, one could argue that the Bible teaches us that there are times when we are to stand still. The Sabbath was a day of rest. Also, the Holy Spirit is referred to as our New Testament “rest”. In the face of these references, it is still not hard to find the imagery of God’s people in motion. They were on a journey through the wilderness and even though they were tent dwellers, they had to keep their eyes on the cloud because when it moved, they had to move with it! The New Testament church was a church in motion. The last thing that Jesus told the church was “GO”. They were to go from Jerusalem to Judea, from Judea to Samaria and then to the uttermost parts of the earth. These are the people who created such a movement that history records they “turned the world upside down”.
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| A Crowded Heaven |
| Have you wondered lately what heaven will be like? I have! A few days ago, I was reading from one of my favorite bloggers and he mentioned a phrase that just stuck with me. Here is what he said: WE WANT HEAVEN TO BE MORE CROWDED BECAUSE WE EXISTED AS A CHURCH. Wow! When I read that I just though about all the people who are now a part of our church who would not have been there if God had not planted CCC in Ashburn, VA.. |
| I Have Learned |
| The next time you are involved in one of those casual conversations that that you know is all fluff, just ask the person this question. What is God teaching you at this moment in your life? Lean forward, because the conversation is about to get sobering. Why? Because as someone noted, “it is in the quiet crucible of our personal private pain that our noblest self is revealed and God’s greatest gifts are given.” |
| It May Be |
| Something tells me that maybe one reason Christianity in America has lost it’s spark is because it has essentially been made “risk free” Well meaning people (probably preachers) over a period of time, decided that if we make it more generic we will attract more people. The experts were wrong! |
| Spiritual Formation - God’s Agenda in 2008 |
| Most of us are familiar with St. Paul’s admonition in scripture: “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind …” (Romans 12:2). Okay, so you’ve heard it before, but just what does it look like? What does a spiritually formed person look like? What characterizes their lives, their lifestyles, their thinking? How do spiritually transformed people behave in the market place that is distinctly different from their pre-christian peers? Forget about what they claim to believe … how do they behave? What is their attitude about sin? How do they relate to sinners? Do they even relate at all? What is their commitment to market place excellence - the kind of excellence that Daniel or Joseph displayed? What is it about them that causes Christianity to be so compelling and attractive that people want to know about the Jesus that they serve? |
