Why give up your Sunday morning?

Why should we give our Sunday morning’s to attend church?

Worship

Worship is part of our gathering every single Sunday morning. So obviously this is an answer. But do we really need to worship with others?

Before we answer that we need to define worship. I won’t spend a long time on defining worship right now. But a functional definition is “being in active awe of God.”

Can we worship alone if this is the definition? Yes. Yes. Yes.

Of course we can. And we should. Most of our problems would probably cease to exist (including church problems) if we spent more time personally in worship. Allow me to suggest a couple of books to help in this journey: Practicing the Presence, Letters of a modern mystic, Present Perfect

So do we need to worship with others then? Yes.

Why?

It is a different experience

Worshiping alone and worshipping with others affects us differently.

We know that when we do something as a group it does something different to us then when we do it alone. For example I really enjoy U2’s music. But there is a difference between listening to a CD and attending their concert. I love listening to their CDs. I also love standing with 50,000 people watching U2 live. The concert is better (personal opinion). I say this even though when I saw them I was cold, tired, hungry, had stood in line for an entire day, was squished, paid too much money, had drunk people near me acting like drunk people and the music quality wasn’t even as good as my CDs. But it was an experience. An experience that I will never get by myself. Or consider sports. Why is it so much fun to be at a sporting event? Or if you watch it on TV it is better with some friends? Even people who are not into sports get into sports if they are with others.

It is the same with worship. Yes, worship alone but it is radically different worshiping with others.

It is amazing:

To be near someone who is the midst of a battle with caner, who knows they may lose this battle, and worship with them. Their worship strengthens me. And possibly my worship strengthens them.

Or to be in a crowd that raises their voice in unison to the glory of God.

Or to kneel as a community in awe of God.

Or to pray with and for others.

Or taking communion with people I do know and people I do not know. But we are together as one family because of Jesus.

These are a few of the experiences that I can never have alone. Experiences that I need, often.

Do we really need to worship with others just because it gives us a different experience? Yes. That is if you want to experience to fullness of God, and the full wonder of worshipping him.

Launch 2012

Launch 2012

Two reports. Reports that conflict. Two different stories about the same thing. The church.

One tells a tragic story. The church is in decline. People seem to walking away from the church in greater and greater numbers. Churches are closing their doors because there is no one left.

The other story is fantastic, almost unbelievably so. The church is rapidly exploding. Thousands, no tens of thousands of people are coming to Christ. Churches are multiplying at an amazing rate. In fact there some who would suggest that the church has never grown so quickly.

Both of these reports are true. The first is the story of the western church (including Canada and USA). The second is the story of the church in the rest of the world (including countries that are actively killing Christians).

We live the first story. Oh, some of churches may be growing, though many are actually declining. But we are not seeing thousands of people coming to Jesus, not even hundreds. The majority of church growth comes not from converts but from other churches. In fact many of us know too many who walked away from the church. Most of us are not part of a church that has successfully planted another church in the last 10 years.

Why does God not move in our churches the way he is moving around the world?

There is a group in southern Manitoba that have gathered together to pray, learn, and discern where God is leading us. We believe that God wants to reach the world. We believe that God is able to. And we want to be part of God’s mission.

The other night we gathered in a back yard for the first time. There were about 30 people there from the different churches in the region. We ate together (because after all we are Mennonites). Had an action plan presented. And prayed together in the rain.

This is our tentative plan:

Prayer

• We need God. Prayer is absolutely important
• 10:2b virus - This comes from Luke 10:2. Jesus calls his disciples to pray that the God would send workers into the harvest field. So we will commit to doing that. A simple way to do this is to set our cell phone's alarm for 10:02. When it goes off pray that God will send out workers.
• Prayer meetings - We will meet in local areas to pray together

Meet together

• A group will meet monthly to pray, learn and discern
• Right now it seems that this group will meet for about one year
• There will be no meetings in summer - so the next one will be in September

Learn

• During the summer we will read the Gospels and Acts
• At September's meeting we will discuss what we have learned
• At some point during the year we will be reading Organic Church and Missional Handbook.
• Attend "The Church Planting Congress" which is happening in Winnipeg this November
• Additional resources: There is No Time, this is put out by Advant and explains their model of "short-cycle church planting" and an issue of Mission Frontiers magazine which is dedicated to church planting

Action

• The group is called “launch 2012”. The reason is we are praying and hoping to launch a church plant in 2012.

There are a couple of ways you can become part of this:

1) If you are in the area join us – by attending, praying for this group…

2) Start something like this in your area, church

Why give up your Sunday morning?

This question has caused some good conversation. Some people have told me that it was actually difficult to answer (which they found a bit worrisome). But there were several reasons give to me on why we should come to church. Here are some of them:

Community

• We need others. The Christian life cannot be lived alone. Once we are out of relationship with other believers it seems to inevitable that we will begin to lose our passion
• Sunday morning is a scheduled time when we come together as a community. This allows us a place to connect, pray for each other...

Worship

• We are able to worship alone - in fact we should be worshiping alone. However there is something special, unique about worshiping God in a community of faith.

Teaching

• This is a time when learn. We should be learning on our own but sometimes we just need to learn with others.
• Our weeks sometimes fill up and our time with God gets pushed aside - Sunday morning is a time to refocus, recharge.

Doing stuff together

• Sunday morning creates a place where we can pool our resources together to do something together
• Sunday morning is a time when we can hear about what God is doing in the world through us (also it is a time to just hear what God is doing in the world.)

Why give up your Sunday morning?

Why should someone give up their Sunday morning in order to come to church?

I would guess that least 95% of churches in the world today ask people to gather together weekly to sing and hear a sermon.

I know that not all of them meet on a Sunday morning. The day or time is not what I am really concerned about, just the reasons why we should come together weekly.

The church's purpose

My church's purpose statement is:

The Overriding Purpose Of The Altona EMM Church Is To Glorify God By Extending The Kingdom Of Jesus Christ Through Discipleship, Evangelism, Worship And Fellowship.

There are two foundational concepts in this statement and one underlining assumption.

The foundational statements:

1. We exist to glorify God
2. We glorify God by extending the kingdom of Jesus Christ

The underlining assumption is that this is done by church, a community, not simply as individuals.

What are we getting wrong?

Interesting video. My favorite line is when Dallas defines the gospel as being about "getting into heaven before we die."

The Missional Manifesto

Just read the missional manifesto. It is excellent - well worth reading the whole thing (it isn't that long so click on the link and read it). It defines some things at the beginning and then lists a series of affirmations. And this is how it ends:

Because we believe these things, we are compelled to action. We urge God’s people to align around the lordship of Jesus, the missional nature of His church, and the reality of His kingdom. We invite the body of Christ everywhere to see people and the world through the lens of God’s kingdom, to live holy lives as Jesus’ disciples, and to intentionally represent Him together as the church. We affirm that Jesus was sent to fulfill God’s purposes in the world through His perfect life, substitutionary death, and physical resurrection so that redemption could be made available to us. With Christ as our focal point, His kingdom as our destiny, and His Spirit as our empowerment, we accept the privilege and joy of His mission.

Re-Born Free - prayer guide

“I am a member of a royal priesthood”

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

1 Peter 2:9

Ask Jesus:

• What is a “royal priest”?
• What is the role of a “royal priest”?

Re-Born Free - prayer guide

“I am sent by Jesus”

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

John 20:21

Ask Jesus:

• Where are you sending me?
• What is my mission?

Re-Born Free - prayer guide

“I am gifted by God”

“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.”

1 Corinthians 12:4-7

Ask Jesus:

• How have you gifted me?
• Why did you gift me the way you have?

Re-Born Free - prayer guide

“I am the beloved of God”

“We give thanks to God always for all of you...knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you.”

1 Thessalonians 1:2-4

Ask Jesus:

• What does it mean to be beloved by you?
• Is there some reason that I doubt that I am your beloved?

Re-Born Free - prayer guide

“I have everything I need for life and godliness”

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”

2 Peter 1:3

Ask Jesus:

• What do I believe that I am lacking?
• What is godliness?

Re-Born Free - prayer guide

“I am a reconciled to God”

“For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!”

Romans 5:10

Ask Jesus:

• What does it mean to be reconciled to you?
• How should this affect my life?

Re-Born Free - prayer guide

“I am a fellow heir with Jesus”

“Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”

Romans 8:17

Ask Jesus:

• What does it mean to be an heir?
• What is our inheritance?

Re-Born Free - prayer guide

"I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me”

“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

Ephesians 3:12

Ask Jesus:

• What am I afraid of?
• What are you calling me to do?
• How will you strengthen me?

Re-Born Free - prayer guide

“I may approach God with freedom and confidence”

“In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.”

Ephesians 3:12

Ask Jesus:

• Is there anything that is limiting my freedom and confidence in coming to you?
• Is there anything you want me to deal with?

Re-Born Free - prayer guide

“I am God's workmanship”

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Ephesians 2:10

Ask Jesus:

• What do you want to say to me today?
• In what ways have you made me unique?

Re-Born Free - prayer guide

“I am seated with Jesus Christ in the heavenly realm”

“And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus”

Ephesians 2:6

Ask Jesus:

• What does it mean to be seated with you in the heavenly realm?
• How should this change how I see myself?

Re-Born Free - prayer guide

“I am God’s co-worker”

“As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain ”

2 Corinthians 6:1

Ask Jesus:

• How do you want me to work with you today?
• How will you help me if I cannot do what you call me to do?

Re-Born Free - prayer guide

“I am a minister of reconciliation for God”

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. ”

2 Corinthians 5:17-21

Ask Jesus:

• How have I experienced reconciliation in my life?
• Where do you want me to be your minister?