“Moving from THE Church to A Church”
Jeremiah 7:1-11
“Moving from THE Church to A Church”
“Sometimes the limitations you are willing to accept establish the boundaries of your existence.” (Erwin McManus)
We have all heard that familiar cry “We are the Church!” What if we are completely wrong? What if by saying this we are setting the boundaries of our existence? In the story of the prophet Jeremiah we see the limitations set forth by those who followed the God of Israel and the impending destruction that ensued. Is there something of relevance for the Church to learn from this historical account of the destruction of the Temple?
The answer is YES! It is egotistical for us to ever think that the Church is the destination. As we traveled this past week we went to the airport to get to our destination. We had no intentions of staying at the airport; we were using it to connect us to our mission. The Church was created for the mission…..not the mission created for the Church. John Wesley saw the world as his Parish. Does it ever appear that the opposite is true…..
The Church was created for connecting people to living the abundant life through a relationship with God. It is only when we start seeing “Church” as a “Who” instead of a “What” and an “A” instead of a “The.” That we can truly see how incredibly small our Church is and at the same time see how incredibly enormous of A Church we have.
The boundaries of religion, worship, theology, and stewardship will not hold God back from accomplishing all that he wants to accomplish. May we become a people that courageously engage in the world…..kind of like the way a little known Jewish man named Jesus did.
“Moving from THE Church to A Church”
“Sometimes the limitations you are willing to accept establish the boundaries of your existence.” (Erwin McManus)
We have all heard that familiar cry “We are the Church!” What if we are completely wrong? What if by saying this we are setting the boundaries of our existence? In the story of the prophet Jeremiah we see the limitations set forth by those who followed the God of Israel and the impending destruction that ensued. Is there something of relevance for the Church to learn from this historical account of the destruction of the Temple?
The answer is YES! It is egotistical for us to ever think that the Church is the destination. As we traveled this past week we went to the airport to get to our destination. We had no intentions of staying at the airport; we were using it to connect us to our mission. The Church was created for the mission…..not the mission created for the Church. John Wesley saw the world as his Parish. Does it ever appear that the opposite is true…..
The Church was created for connecting people to living the abundant life through a relationship with God. It is only when we start seeing “Church” as a “Who” instead of a “What” and an “A” instead of a “The.” That we can truly see how incredibly small our Church is and at the same time see how incredibly enormous of A Church we have.
The boundaries of religion, worship, theology, and stewardship will not hold God back from accomplishing all that he wants to accomplish. May we become a people that courageously engage in the world…..kind of like the way a little known Jewish man named Jesus did.
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