This chapter could have easily been named "Perspective." You can only control so much, and the surroundings and contexts we have grown up in informs this perspective--or paradigm--more than we can ever imagine.
That's why I'm glad we got some "perspective" very early in this chapter. Let me explain what I mean:
There is SO MUCH going on in this book. As I look at the team that is reading it, I don't think it is necessarily challenging our thinking. My suspicion is that we have thought and struggled with these things for quite some time. But here's the kicker: even though we have thought these things, we have STILL, to some level, conformed to the status quo around us. At least in my experience, this has lead to long periods of self-flaggelation
(vocab word o' the day! (sělf'flāj'ə-lā'shən) n.
The act of severely criticizing oneself.
The act of punishing oneself.)
It can be very frustrating to read in such vivid form the things that really get to the heart of who we are, but that has struggled to manifest itself as an ACTUAL paradigm shift in our own actions.
Hugh brought up, very appropriately, that even the best and most missionally-minded of us have a hard time "getting it." And I think this is good. It keeps us from getting jaded and judgemental. Here's a quote from p. 60 that sums up what I'm trying to say very well:
The danger we speak of regarding the paradigms of the contemporary church isn't that we've lost our heart for the world or that we do bad church. The problem is that our present evangelical "Come to us" paradigm of the church has not been an appropriate missiological response to the paradigms that exist in our world.
I think of all the leaders I have been under. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM HAD A PASSION TO SEE PEOPLE COME TO CHRIST AND BECOME DISCIPLES. Every single one of them gave their whole heart, effort, and lives to the ministry. Each of them struggled with this issue of paradigm and tended to give into the "church growth" philosophies of that era (even if it clearly did not fit the context in which they ministered). However, what they did was not "bad." People still were touched and changed by the living God despite our short-comings.
So do I despair and get jaded, bitter, and judgemental? Absolutely NOT. I celebrate what God did through these formative years, and what they have taught me (both what TO DO and NOT to do). We realize that God's grace is far greater than any force on Earth, and that His love will transcend our short-comings and still transform people.
However, I cannot continue to operate within a missional paradigm that has limited impact and is in many ways unbiblical, no matter how comfortable or familiar it is. I must change. WE must change.
So to summarize--give yourself a break. It will be hard for anyone who has grown up in almost any American evangelical church paradigm over the last several decades to apply these things.
On the other hand, MOST people who become Christ-followers WITHOUT this background almost unfailingly GET THIS right away! These are the people who are the greatest evangelists and disciple-makers! It's in thier DNA from the get-go. They usually have an entire community of fellow "sojourners" that get to see the change in their life and start asking questions (one of the worst things we can do is try to get people to leave their "unchurched" friends when they come to Christ). Think woman at the well, Andrew, etc.
So having a missional approach that meets people where they are and allows Christ to transform their lives without anything being manufactured will have a HUGE impact on the Kingdom of God (just like we see in the early church). This is DEFINITELY NOT the most neat and tidy way to go. In fact, it's quite messy (think Corinth!). But it's a beautiful mess. It's where Jesus lives. It's where Grace ABOUNDS! It's where I want to be and what I want our community to experience.
Jason
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5 comments:
Well I am defiantly more of a WestMod. I really like the gospel responses though and want to study that more. I like when he talks about the gospel response: transformation. And how it’s not just someone who is learning about Christ who is being transformed but also the person sharing Christ. We are always learning and growing whatever stage we are in.
My favorite quote from this chapter is from the end… “Their heartbeat to be transformed into the image of Christ, and to pray and work for little specks of transformation in everyone and everything they touch. Success is faithfulness. The rest is up to God.” That is so encouraging. I think we put to much pressure on ourselves to convert people, when we should just be living our lives and the image of Christ is just pouring out of us, and the real transformation only comes from God, not by anything we are doing or saying.
This was a good chapeter, little longer and so I druged my way through it think at times he was just filling pages. But all in all I would have to agree with monica that I am definatly on the westmod scale, trying to work my way out of that more and more but still in the westmod.
I do want to live out more of the gospel response I think more of my struggle may be with inclusive community in that I like my own time and I enjoy being alone and at times I think weird people are weird. But I really love as Monica does as well the transformation and I really feel that has been my passion (our passion monica and I) but it also takes a long time and a long time commitment into peoples lives and into the "community".
How come Jason or Amy blog outside the comment area? Just curious, it just feels weird, thats all just thought I would say it.
I like a lot what you had to say Jason but I do have to comment on your word for the day, self-flaggelation, it sounds a little bit like farting on yourself to me and I don't that but it may not always be fun but at least you can't feed yourself beefstew.
Troy and I were talking about this chapter...and I'm relating to what Jason wrote here...I have a harder time "getting it" and Troy, having come to the Lord as an adult get it easily! When we talk about this book, he always says that this is how he's always thought. He doesn't have the old patterns ingrained in him like I do, and frankly, I think he's better off. I am NOT discounting all my years of growing up knowing Jesus, I'm just saying that I am looking through a filter that he doesn't have and I'm a bit envious of that :)
Paulette
Quote page 67, “Remember, there’s one thing that is just as important as truth, and maybe even more important. That is whether or not someone is willing or ready to receive truth. An environment of discover is the only way we’re going to help people experience an alternative opportunity.”
An environment of discovery. How do we accomplish this? I think that environment could be very challenging to a lot us! We are in such a hurry to get to the behavior before people have fully grasped what it means to have a relationship with Jesus. This environment will have to allow people- at every point in their journey- in the door AND in our lives. It makes room for the messier things in life to hang around until the discovery of Truth happens in their soul. It means we love people as much as we love truth.
~An environment of discovery~ That is something to ponder and ask ourselves: What barriers can we remove that will allow the journey of discovery to happen?
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