Wekklesia.org

One of the things I start to struggle with over time is the inability to see where I’m going in the short term.

Often, I think God purposefully hides our destination from us so we will pay attention to the lesson on the winding path to the end that is right in front of us.  I mean after all, if Dorothy and crew weren’t so fixed on the Emerald City in the distance, they just might’ve seen those darned flying monkeys coming!

I’d been in somewhat of a weird juxtaposition of a personal funk and really precise leading from God and visitation from Him in my personal prayer time, bible reading, and even schoolwork.  I’ve got a true bead on where I’m going now and I’m to the point where I can’t not do what I’m being called to do, so I might as well go after it with all I am, have, will have, or aspire to.

As tepid as that sounds, for someone as careful as I am in the things of God, that’s pretty radical.

I’m at the top of my career game, making more than I ever have doing things I really like doing and to really own the fact that a church plant is in the future (i.e., I’ll have to walk away from both this lifestyle and the means by which I support it) to serve God’s people with the hope against hope that He will come; that He will bless; that He will own the entire thing and bring His Kingdom is lights-out lunacy.

I recognize that I cannot do this.  It is impossible to plan your way into a visitation from God.  Either He’s in it or He’s not.  Either He will show Himself or you’re making a club.

I figured out quite some time ago that I just don’t want to start a church.  In fact, even here in Atlanta there are tons of churches.  It’s isn’t called the buckle of the Bible Belt for no reason.  You can drive down any country road and see as many as dozens of little churches all over the place.  Cold.  Dead.  Lifeless.  In many locations these churches are handed down from father to son and they are kept like heirlooms in a family… “Who gets the church” might be heard at the wake.

However, I don’t just want a building on the corner.  My cry to God is that He comes in power.  Not that there’s a huge children’s ministry; nor that the worship is unbelievable…we already have plenty of that from the “seeker sensitive” crowd.  Instead, I want to see God come and meet His people; touch His church.  I want to see Jesus’ works modeled in the church TODAY.  For, if Jesus’ works aren’t done and His purposes aren’t furthered, why not just join Rotary?  Why not just be in a community band (if you’re a musician)?

The formula, I believe, is simple.  I know nothing, can do nothing, am nothing, and have nothing to offer.  Unless Jesus Himself arrives and runs things, all is lost.  Time to play checkers.

In short, I have a few things I’ve been burdened with:

The poor.

Jesus valued the poor and showed it in His ministry.  The downtrodden, those who couldn’t do for themselves and were lost in a mire of hopelessness in occupied Israel.  Widows, orphans…God’s children were destitute and hopeless until the source of all hope came and brought them hope once again.  God values the poor and so do we.  Their needs (both physically and spiritually) are highly important.

Worship.

Worship is highly important.  It is the single act in the church that it’s very execution is an act of love and adoration toward God that all take part in together.  Sure, you can pray together, but there is never quite the unity and beauty like when we all worship God together.  It also is an activity where He returns the act by coming and dwelling among us; walking throughout the group and touching each one as He wills.  Worship is our lifeline, our lifeblood, and our highest priority.  Without God and His presence, we have failed.

Authenticity.

God isn’t interested in your suit and tie.  He doesn’t care about your car or your tech gadgets.  He wants you.  Not your stuff or the show you can put on or how you can impress others, but you…personally you, wholly you.  Moreover, He wants the real you.  Not the dressed up, cleaned off, oddly sterilized you, but everything…the grit, the goo, the fabulous and the faults.  When we realize our brokenness, then we might be close to realizing His compassion.  When we get real with God and each other….finally get REALLY real, it’s then the magic happens.  Agendas melt away and programs and patty-cake parties disappear.  People come to church and find a real community of real people with real problems coming to a real God and finding REAL deliverance.

Mobilization

We don’t come together simply to feed our own spiritual faces, give each other “high-fives” and “see you next week” exchanges, but we come together to be equipped for ministry.  Not those with theology degrees, but everyone.  God’s whole plan was that the entire church of Christ moved outside of the building walls and did His works.  Whether feeding the poor, healing the sick, or saving the sinner, action is paramount.  If we keep sucking in the teaching, worship, knowledge, experiences, and training without going and doing something with it, we’ve become spiritually masturbatory in our actions gratifying ourselves and becoming self-centered and ineffectual.

Again, better to do rotary…at least they have well developed benevolence programs.

My introspection part of this is recognizing what God values and trying to put it into words without sounding like some sort of pontificating douche.  (yeah, I said it).

Jesus gave us only two commandments and he made it clear that EVERYTHING else was handled in those two simple commandments.  LOVE GOD.  LOVE EACH OTHER.

What would it be like if He allowed us to build that very environment right here, right now?

I hope to find out.

I think that for the most part, the “where” is the hardest in nailing down a church plant idea.  Partly because you tend to inject your own thought processes into the mix and sometimes really muddy the waters around what God is telling you.

One of the things I’ve been noticing is that a city keeps coming up in my considerations.  I’ve never been there, hate the college football team from that town, and <GASP!> it has no Hockey team!!! (Hey… I’m still human over here!)

Seriously, though…

Most important to me is that it has no Vineyard.  The Vineyard is the movement I have chosen to align myself with for a number of reasons (maybe I’ll get into all of them some time).  Thing is, there’s this handy-dandy little tool on our website for helping you find all the Vineyards in the country (or the lack thereof).  Problem with that is you start hunting for places without a Vineyard rather than hunting for God’s direction.  I CONSTANTLY have to fight that.  Pray for me.

There’s plenty of reason to stay right here in Georgia and plenty of reason to go elsewhere… The biggest thing I want is the mind of God on the matter.  If I have that, it won’t matter if it’s the moon.  I’ll lead some prehistric microbes to God… or something…

All in all, I’ve got some time.  My youngest will graduate high school in a couple years and maybe the housing market will have recovered by then and I can unload this house.  I’d rather not have this mortgage hanging around when I start this.  I’d rather just have an inexpensive rented place instead.