What Does Church Look Like?

Today, I’d like to share some one-line gems from my friend Neil Cole and his friends, and thoughts they inspired in me. Twitter is great about helping folks to be profound and brief!

“Sow a church and reap an institution. Sow disciples and reap a church.” (Billy Mitchell)

"Jesus never commanded us to plant churches, he only commanded us to make disciples."

“Always make copies from the master, not from a copy. Always make disciples of Jesus, not of you.” (Retweet of Kellen Jones)

“Multiplication is God's first command. The church isn't real good at it, but we are leading the way in division.”

It is possible for the building of a great cathedral to be a sincere and grateful gift to the glory and praise of God, like a child’s fingerpainting on a refrigerator door. But while building it, do we pinch our sister and punch our brother? Do we help the kid who scraped his knee or kick him and call him clumsy? A parent, seeing this behaviour, might well view the painting with sadness rather than joy. The parent wants the package deal:  painting and love and charity and discipleship.

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.” Matthew 23:23

Can we disagree, even passionately, and still in the love of Christ, seeking to persuade, rather than tear down?

It seems departmental faculty meetings can be an outstanding time to shine with this love of Christ. Your colleagues won’t know how to respond. That can be the opening for evangelism, which is part of discipleship.

It is even possible to begin to disciple someone in Christ long before you ‘share the Gospel;’ training them in the love and character of Christ long before you mention His name. Then when you introduce Him, your disciple will be greeting an old friend s/he never knew they had.

If you call yourself a Christian, then you are a disciple. If you are a disciple, then church is not what you do at a certain time or place, it is who you are, in all times and all places.

We have but one High Priest, and He has sent us out as His ministers.

We have but one Lord, and He has sent us out as His ambassadors.

We have but one Father, and He has sent us out to call in His children.

SDG