The Word "Church"

At the Church I attend one thing that seems to be pushed is the whole thing of worship is not just singing. Fair enough. Our whole life should be worship and we shouldn't just think that worship begins and ends with the songs we sing. So now in the services on Sunday I've noted people are really careful not to say it's time to worship but rather we going to have a time to sing. We're song leaders not worship leaders etc etc. None of this really bothers me - worship should be more than singing (through I still argue there is no better corporate medium than singing). What did get me thinking the other day was do we need to do the same thing to the word "Church". I would argue that singing has more to do with worship than attending a service for 70 minutes has to do with Church.By my understanding the Biblical message of the Church is far larger than Sunday. The Bible talks about a body of people, each unique, each vital, joined to Christ the Head and growing together in maturity. It talks of ambassadors of Christs kingdom working to bring his dream on earth, empowered by the Spirit of God. It talks of the Church as being something we are, not something we attend. Just as worship is far more than singing - being the Church means far more than being counted and paying your tax on Sunday morning.
Maybe, we need to stop calling the gathering, service whatever word we use on Sunday morning "Church"? It is far to limiting and enforces the false and damaging notion that all things that are really Church happen on Sunday.
Maybe, we need to be far more careful how we talk about Church? The other day I was reading and someone was writing about his dream for Church this year - everything was related to Sunday services - everything. The danger in this is that because his view of Church was to small so was his dream.
Maybe we need to go back to the kingdom - after all it is the kingdom that Jesus preached not the Church?
Maybe if our vision of Church gets bigger the people doing real vital work for the kingdom midweek in their work places, cafes and homes will see that this is kingdom work and the Church in action, Christ's body in motion, even is it a Thursday not a Sunday?
Maybe there all just words and really it all doesn't matter?
Who knows?

Til next time
D

The Mission

The Mission

Words & Music Peter Furler & Steve Taylor

Song From NewsBoys "Go Album"

When the runners came from Bethlehem

All breathless with Good News

They were passing a baton forward through time

The commission, from God's lips to our ears

Carried by his saints two thousand years

Connects us all to the same lifeline

As I fix my eyes ahead

I can feel the Spirit's breath

I can hear the mission bell ringing out loud and clear

It's the revolution Jesus started and it's here

Echoing across the world from the shores of Galilee

I can hear the mission bell call for you and me

I wanna run with fire

It's my heart desire

Lifting Your love higher

In the history of our faith's arrivals

Great awakenings, Welsh revivals

Saints and martyrs, summoned by new birth

Patricks save of the Irish nation

William Carey's expectation

Lambs and lions called to the ends of the Earth

Gotta put my hand to the plow

Not looking back. not now

Just started a Persectives Course here in Taupo. It's a 13 week course all about missions. I am convinced the Bible is a Book of mission. God is a sending God - to be a follwer of Christ is to be one who has been sent out into a world to be ambassdor of his kingdom. It may not mean going overseas - who says missions must mean work in another country? Maybe, in fact this definition of a missionary as one who must go overseas is actually one that now hinders mission here in little old NZ? From the moment God sent Adam forth to multipy, to the calling and double sided blessing of Abraham, to great commission of Jesus himself. The Bible is bloated with mission, it overflows with a God who calls us to go.

Maybe we have lost that?

Or maybe we simply have no idea how it do mission in New Zealand anymore?

Maybe we need to think about it?

Maybe we need to realise that when call people to Christianity we don't simply call them to the forgivness of God and the hope of heaven but we also call them into the plan of God, the call of God, the mission to go?

Til Next Time

D