Something Just Ain’t Right

At my church, we have been talking a lot about what it means to be the church and what the church looks like in the context of the community of northwest Atlanta. Its a church that was born out of the Willow Creek model of seeker sensitivity and there has been a groundswell of support to lose that model in favor of a more missional model of church, moving the church outside of its own walls. Our pastor even recently emailed me Sally Morgenthaler’s article that basically critiques the seeker model.

I heard Francis Chan talk back in the fall and was really moved by his heart for Scripture, to remain as radically biblical as possible. He even pointed out that if Jesus had a church in the same city as his, his own church would probably be bigger, because they call people to an easier commitment than what Christ does. His passion is really moving. He is now doing a series on the church and they are looking at shifting their model completely, lead by those in the church, elders, staff, etc. He basically states that he doesn’t care what size the church is if we aren’t doing it right. Here’s a video they showed during a recent sermon:

In her book Believing God referring to the American church, Beth Moore states that there’s such a gap between our theology and our reality that we set ourselves up for ridicule. When you look at the book of Acts, its definitely radical, but it makes sense. It makes sense that when you watch a man you’ve followed for three years die on a cross, then come back and start talking to you and tells you He is the Son of God, that it changes everything. Doesn’t it make sense that if the Creator of the universe sent his own Son in human form, had him die on a cross to pay for your individual crimes, and you saw him rise from the grave to show that he has power over death, that it would change everything about your life? Doesn’t it makes sense that when we believe in our head and heart that we are going to exist a million years from now, that it would change everything? What doesn’t make any rational sense is if we saw the believers in the early church see Christ rise from the dead and believe the resurrection, but yet their lives didn’t look any different. They just attend church and give a few bucks.

There’s such a disconnect for me from what I read in Acts and the early church and what I see in the American church. Its very easy to sit there and say, “Well, that was the early church and things were just different…” to which I ask “Why?” Why can’t today’s churches be like that? I think the American church has squeezed Christ into their agenda of what they think best instead of turning to scripture and looking at exactly what it tells us.

In 1 John 4 tell us that no one has really seen God, but if we, as a community of believers, love one another, than people will be able to see some kind of picture of Christ. Its not about a great band or incredible speaker or great program, but about a supernatural love amongst the community of believers that is truly radical and different from the rest of the world. People can see God through that.

Francis uses a great analogy talking about how we are basically sitting at a blackjack table at church. We care very little about the wins and losses of those around us, but deal directly with the blackjack dealer themselves. The dealer is the only one who matters at the table. He states that we should break that model, and for radical community to truly exist amongst the people of the church.

What would happen to this country if we take this to heart? If we broke down all the walls that define us as churches and really learned to live and love as a community of believers.

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