Thursday, December 07, 2006

The future

So in my last post I mentioned that the church's foundation is loving Yahweh, loving others and making disciples. I said that this really needs to get fleshed out. Perhaps a way to flesh this out is by asking what would it look like if we were doing this?
Now by asking that question I feel like I am beginning by stating that we are not doing this. I am not sure that is the case. I believe that programs in our church are built out of the conviction that we need to be doing these things. My intent in asking this question is not to challenge what we are doing but to look into the future.
So what would it look like if we loved Yahweh more and more? Now I am just going to start to ramble out some thoughts that I have (feel free to state what you think and to challenge what I am writing down).
  • We would have a desire to learn more about who he is
  • We would not get caught up in our little wish list but rather get caught up in Yahweh's wish list
  • We would be engaged with the people on the edges (just like Jesus was)
  • Our worship would be full of life (regardless of the style)
  • We would have a longing and desire for the Bible
  • Our service would be characterized by dedication and commitment
  • We would tell other people about him
  • We would want to experience him in real relationship
  • Our creativity would be unleashed
  • We would be more confident because we will know that Yahweh loves us
  • We would be willing to take risks for him
  • We would seek to hear his voice and obey him
  • We would pray
  • We would pray in groups and with others
  • We would do whatever it takes to get closer to him (this includes things like fasting)
  • We would begin to see Yahweh everywhere (in the news, in our friends, in our enemies)
  • We would be more critical of our culture
  • We would be more gracious and loving
Looking over this list I see that I am no where near to where I should be. The next question is how do we get to where we do love Yahweh more and more?
But I think before I even begin to explore that question I will explore what would it look like to love others? And what would it look like to make disciples? For I believe that all three of these are very inter-related.
What are your thoughts?

1 comment:

Sister C said...

Good stuff Ben I want that enthusiasm for Yahweh .... Why is it still so hard to get out of bed 20 minutes earlier? ...pondering...