Day One. Principle: Purpose
Scripture:
Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:46-47
Thoughts:
Judging by the behavior of most churches, we have lost our way and missed the primary call of the church. We tend to be more a crowd than a community. We tend to come in our self absorption, missing completely how desperate the person we sit next to might be. In our discomfort with going deep, we keep our conversations at the safe, superficial level and miss the profound connection God intended between His Spirit in us and His Spirit in others. In our fear of being hurt, we keep to ourselves. In gracelessness, we bind disciples into lockstep patterns of expectations that shame people who do not act like us.
We envision Village to be a church of radical connections. By radical, we mean a going back to the root—to what is inherent in the church. What is the root of the church? The church, at its core, is called to be a community of restorative grace, bringing believers to spiritual maturity with the ultimate aim of Christ-likeness.
Over the next two weeks, we'll look together at who God has called us to be as individuals and as a church, and what actions are required of us to be a radical church.
Reflection:
Am I helping my church fulfill its God-given purpose? How can I better use my uniqueness to build up the Body of Christ?
Prayer:
Lord, how will You use me to help Village be the radical church You are calling it to be?
