My latest audiobook find was Francis Chan's Letters to the Church. He resigned from pastoring a megachurch to help start a smaller home church that continues to multiply, and he is writing this book to the American church, often speaking directly to pastors. I LOVED the heart of his message about taking God's commands more seriously than people's desires, striving for true Biblical unity rather than stronger marketing/outreach programs, and that God wants the church to be known for quality (lives being transformed) over quantity (numbers growing rapidly). I recommend this one... I need to get a physical copy so I can underline things and take notes in it!
“Rather than creating our own pep rallies, our calling is to simply put Him on display and watch as He draws people to Himself. If they are not interested in Him, what do we think we're accomplishing by trying to lure them by other means? ...We have come up with countless strategies to reach the lost when God promises that unity is the method that will work." ~Letters to the Church
That last sentence gets me. One of my favorite chapters in the Bible is John 17 where Jesus prays for unity in the church... that we would be one with Him just as He and the Father are one. Since Monday's post, the anxiety and pressure I was feeling have gone down. I've remembered that even the best things we experience here on earth will always be partial and incomplete, that my heart will not find the "more" in everything I'm seeking until I get to heaven, which is okay because that Kingdom hope is real and it will not disappoint. I want to devour God's Word more passionately and know Him more deeply, to abide in Him and grow in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control!! I want a stronger union with Him and with other believers, to deliberately strengthen those bonds in new ways. Loving God and loving people enough to bring them closer to God is the most eternally valuable thing we can ever do with our lives, and it's not as difficult as we pretend it is sometimes. Living with sincere love and unity would obviously draw more people to God and the church, especially hurting people who see through the self-serving glossy church hype that's so prevalent these days!
...Speaking of the power of unity, I watched this video about the Pepper's Ranch Foster Care Community yesterday, and it's really the best thing I've seen in a long time:
Aaaaah, my heart! The community influence and the opportunity for these kids to spend time with several healthy adults who care about them and to hang out with other kids who have been through similar things - I love that! It's great for the kids and the foster parents to have that support surrounding them! I wanna join them. Or help them. Or work to create something similar in the Tulsa area - how cool would that be!? ...(Working at the courthouse, my mind also quickly goes to the things that could go wrong here and all the people who aren't who they pretend to be, but this concept is still amazing and awesome.)
Love, unity, and connection are more important than we realize. There is a TED talk (HERE) where the speaker says the opposite of addiction is connection, feeling loved and valued and forming healthy connections rather than bottling things up and striving to get through it all on your own. It makes so much sense to me. The worst times in my life have been characterized by lost or broken connections with people, and the way I have healed from that brokenness is by connecting and processing through those things with others who love me. Having people you can laugh and cry with, people who know you deeply and love you well (and vice versa) because you've walked together through many of the ups and downs of life -- that is a huge gift. One I don't want to take for granted, and one I am passionate about helping others find and develop.
Relationships are messy by nature, and again, nothing will be completely perfect until we get to heaven. But it's still worth fighting for more unity and building stronger communities now, especially within the church!! (I'm brainstorming here, and I will continue to pray about how to live this out and listen for God's direction.) ❤
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