From A New Kind of Christianity:
The church, then, in Paul’s mind, must be above all a school of love. If it’s not that, it’s nothing,. Its goal is not simply to pump knowledge into people, but to train them in the “way of love,” so they may do the “work of the Lord,” empowered by the Holy Spirit, as the embodiment of Christ. Perhaps school isn’t the best metaphor, though, unless we think of a karate school or a dance school or a language school—not simply a community where you learn or learn about, but where you learn to. (p.170)
Too often we think of church as a place to impart information, rather than a group of people who walk through life together. The types of schools Brian gave as examples are schools that are more about doing something, as well as learning something. The knowledge we often gain in church does little more than make us feel better about ourselves, or more sure of our position (and as a result, more critical of others).
Church should be a group of people who “do life together.” People committed to looking beyond themselves to the community and world around them, striving to establish God's kingdom and helping make the lives of others a little better.
2 comments:
Can you do good, and make other people's lives better without bringing them into God's Kingdom?
What if they see and feel God differently, or not at all?
You would still help them. Would you let them help you?
thanks for reading, Therapist.
short answer to your questions--yes. To me, it's not so much about bringing people into the kingdom, or being in or out. As a follower of Christ, I want to participate in God's kingdom by how I live my life--loving and serving everyone I can. I'm not as concerned with "converting" people as I am with loving them.
I have experienced God's presence in friendships with people who have very different spiritual perspectives.
Post a Comment