Tears

You never know what may cause tears. The sight of the Atlantic ocean can do it, or a piece of music, or a face you've never seen before. A pair of somebody's old shoes can do it. Almost any movie before the great sadness that came over the world after the Second World War, a horse cantering across a meadow, the high school basketball team running out onto the gym floor at the start of a game. You can never be sure. But of this you can be sure. Whenever you find tears in your eyes, especially unexpected tears, it is well to pay the closest attention.

They are not only telling you something about the secret of who you are. More often than not, God is speaking to you through them of the mystery of where you have come from and to summoning you to where, if your soul is to be saved, you should go to next.

- Frederick Buechner

This past weekend my church hosted the EMMC international conference in our town. It was a lot of fun (and work). I really enjoyed meeting people, worshiping God, and attending great sessions. David MacFarlane was the speaker at the main sessions. On Friday night he gave talk on "eight signs of a missional church"

1. Outward focused
2. Movtivated by Hope
3. Intentional
4. Equipping
   
5. Community for missions
6. Innovative
7. Transformation
8. Exciting and fruitful

I found this talk exciting and challenging. As a church we are doing good in some areas. But we also have a lot of room to grow.
I want to do three things better:
Personally share the good news of Jesus with people
Be more intentional as a church in reaching out to our community
To plant churches

Taking captivity captive

In Ephesians 4:8 is says

"When he [Jesus] ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive".

Jesus, our messiah, takes captivity captive. He said at one time that he came to set us free. If Jesus' mission was to set people free, as his followers we most make sure that we don't make people captive. If we are honest too often the church has bound and held people captive instead of bringing them to Jesus who sets them free.
The institution of the church has held many people captive. We feel this need to insure that our institution or program survives. The institution or program holds us as slaves. We become competitive with other churches and other programs within "our church". Instead of serving in love and freedom, we end working because of guilt and fear.
Guilt and fear are two weapons the church has often used to keep people under control - enslaved. Enslaved to our institutions or to our idea of morality.
But Jesus died to set us free. And the one Jesus has set free is free indeed.