Latest thoughts part eight - church

The world needs deeply spiritual places centred wholly on Jesus and following his example and ethics into reconciliation and social justice. The world needs an unequivocal voice and body that addresses poverty, inequality, racism and violence. This voice and body does not waver with popularity cults that look back, but rather follow the Spirit-led nuances into the recreating future God is seeking. This, as I have recently written in a book, is the church the world needs and the quality of church God requires. 

Such a church as this will be completely inclusive, open and welcoming - offering new hope, purpose and fulfilment. Such a church, while deeply fuelled by the power of God, will be earthly focussed - for this is where the mission lies. The people currently within this church have definitively and permanently put aside their egos, personal agendas and theological nit-picking - because they have been overwhelmed by the transformative potential of God's grace. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Latest thoughts part one

Recovering quietly from a double hernia operation has given me a lot of (possibly too much) think time. My thoughts have drifted around politics, theology and past church experiences. I haven't wanted to spend too much time thinking about Carlton's latest form fluctuations - way too frustrating!  I rejoice that Peter Dutton lost his seat - he deserved to - especially for even thinking about nuclear power. I put in some money 6 years ago to try to unseat him - an investment that had a delayed return. I just watched the third episode of The Piano on the ABC - where a variety of people play at a public piano (this time at the Preston Market) - and was emotionally moved by a seemingly beautiful man from Gaza (who had lost everything including his beloved piano when his home was bombed) wonderfully play his wife's favourite music in front of her, his three daughters, and a nice little crowd. He also spoke of his love of the opportunities Australia has given his family. What a pr...
Read more

Latest thoughts part five - ministry

I have normally apologised along the journey when, usually in hindsight, I understand that I have neglected someone. This has usually occurred through being, mostly correctly, completely focussed on the bigger picture of the wider community. But what about apologies due to me that are not forthcoming? What do you do with that going forward?  I actually had a couple apologise to me a few years down the track (for potentially being part of destabilising my ministry) when they came to realise that God's mission into the world sometimes needs to have a higher priority than internal church agendas. That they had themselves become so involved in significant mission was gratifying enough for there to be no further tension between us.  Yet I still await an apology from CCVT for the appalling way they handled one ministry situation (having taken on one of their basket-case churches and brought new purpose and relevance) - an apology that will likely never happen. You can forgive and mo...
Read more

Latest thoughts part six - prayer

What benefit can we find in prayer when war and violence seem only to get worse and children, despite our seemingly very reasonable prayers, keep dying? I have encountered and experienced very real answers to prayer at times - mine and others, small and big results - but many of my prayers seemed to have remained ineffectual. I believe that God is alive, totally loving and compassionate, and can and does intervene according to the common good ... but to this last point - very obviously not all the time.  This has led me to two very crucial conclusions. Firstly, prayer is largely about aligning ourselves with God, building our sacred relationship with the Divine Trinity, and thereby understanding who God is. Secondly, prayer is about attuning our behaviour and action to God's will or God's kingdom ways - where we become the solution to our own heartfelt desires. We pray, "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is heaven", and then we should get on with it...
Read more