the article i wanted to print
this is the newsletter article i wanted to write for the newsletter, but felt like i shouldn't print
Many of you might remember the article I wrote a few months ago about the declining membership of the Southern Baptist Convention. Well today I want to bring it home to us. I want to look at how we as a church can save ourselves from the fate of so many others. Many (me included) want to blame someone else for the decline in the church. Isn’t that our sinful nature, to blame someone else. So lets be honest for a minute Lets look at ourselves (let me look at myself). Some want to blame the deacons (I have); some what to blame the staff (I have. I have even blamed myself); some want to blame the membership (I have). Some even want to blame God. We say he is punishing us; or growing us; or pruning us (I have said all of those). But I want to stop blaming someone else. Its like if you see someone drowning. You don’t stop to place blame. No. You get them to the shore and you begin CPR. You begin to breathe life into them. To bring something to life you must put life into it? Well yall I want us to jump in the water and rescue ourselves and breathe life into ourselves. But here is the kicker. You, me, we are the church and you, me, we are drowning. How can a drowning man breath life into another drowning man. He can’t! You, me, we can’t breath life back into the drowning if we are drowning. But HE can! God can….wait let me be specific. Jesus can. The Father can. The Holy Spirit can.
So you say, “Alright little, mister, preach-boy-wanna-be what is the answer?” Well thanks for asking! (ha) The answer is God’s answer to it all—GRACE! I have begun to go back to something Bro. Richard said soon after God sent him here to shepherd us. He said, “I need much grace and give out much grace.” WOW what a picture of the church. You see the church is all about community—relationships. Jesus does not build institutions; He builds a network of relationships that will coalesce into the Bride.
Yall the answer for the declining American church (and for EBC) is not better communication, or more church fellowships, or more “heartfelt” sermons, or a better understanding of evangelism, or a better understanding of our role, or more people serving, or revamped programs. Those are not the answer; they are the outcome of the answer. The answer is grace. When I understand the grace that was poured out on me, I will pour out grace on others and will communicate better, evangelize better, serve better, fellowship better, even plan better, and organize better.
Yall it is about being the church not doing church. For far to many years we have been doing church. Well, unless we want to be wards of an empty vision we are going to have to start being the church.
Christ used a metaphor to describe the Christian life once. He said it is like being born again. From what I understand (having never actually been present) when a baby is born everyone is waiting to hear it cry because they know it is taking its first breath. That breath is life being brought into the lungs. When we were born again we took a breath of the purest air ever. But I think we have begun breathing polluted (sinful) air again. It is time we look to Jesus and take a fresh breath of air, the air of Grace. We need to begin to breath grace in and breath it out and begin to love.
So yall this is my last article I will write for you. So I want to leave you with this exhortation: Stop blaming; stop looking for bible verses to prove your right; stop threatening to leave; stop gossiping; and stop writing each other letters of discontentment. START honestly, truly, loving each other because if we don’t then an empty vision will turn into an empty building. And you, I, us will not be able to blame anyone except me, you, we for it.
And don’t forget the 19,000 lost people in Greenville. God will not and if we don’t start once more being the church, God will raise up another people to reach those 19,000 because he will never forget them.
Many of you might remember the article I wrote a few months ago about the declining membership of the Southern Baptist Convention. Well today I want to bring it home to us. I want to look at how we as a church can save ourselves from the fate of so many others. Many (me included) want to blame someone else for the decline in the church. Isn’t that our sinful nature, to blame someone else. So lets be honest for a minute Lets look at ourselves (let me look at myself). Some want to blame the deacons (I have); some what to blame the staff (I have. I have even blamed myself); some want to blame the membership (I have). Some even want to blame God. We say he is punishing us; or growing us; or pruning us (I have said all of those). But I want to stop blaming someone else. Its like if you see someone drowning. You don’t stop to place blame. No. You get them to the shore and you begin CPR. You begin to breathe life into them. To bring something to life you must put life into it? Well yall I want us to jump in the water and rescue ourselves and breathe life into ourselves. But here is the kicker. You, me, we are the church and you, me, we are drowning. How can a drowning man breath life into another drowning man. He can’t! You, me, we can’t breath life back into the drowning if we are drowning. But HE can! God can….wait let me be specific. Jesus can. The Father can. The Holy Spirit can.
So you say, “Alright little, mister, preach-boy-wanna-be what is the answer?” Well thanks for asking! (ha) The answer is God’s answer to it all—GRACE! I have begun to go back to something Bro. Richard said soon after God sent him here to shepherd us. He said, “I need much grace and give out much grace.” WOW what a picture of the church. You see the church is all about community—relationships. Jesus does not build institutions; He builds a network of relationships that will coalesce into the Bride.
Yall the answer for the declining American church (and for EBC) is not better communication, or more church fellowships, or more “heartfelt” sermons, or a better understanding of evangelism, or a better understanding of our role, or more people serving, or revamped programs. Those are not the answer; they are the outcome of the answer. The answer is grace. When I understand the grace that was poured out on me, I will pour out grace on others and will communicate better, evangelize better, serve better, fellowship better, even plan better, and organize better.
Yall it is about being the church not doing church. For far to many years we have been doing church. Well, unless we want to be wards of an empty vision we are going to have to start being the church.
Christ used a metaphor to describe the Christian life once. He said it is like being born again. From what I understand (having never actually been present) when a baby is born everyone is waiting to hear it cry because they know it is taking its first breath. That breath is life being brought into the lungs. When we were born again we took a breath of the purest air ever. But I think we have begun breathing polluted (sinful) air again. It is time we look to Jesus and take a fresh breath of air, the air of Grace. We need to begin to breath grace in and breath it out and begin to love.
So yall this is my last article I will write for you. So I want to leave you with this exhortation: Stop blaming; stop looking for bible verses to prove your right; stop threatening to leave; stop gossiping; and stop writing each other letters of discontentment. START honestly, truly, loving each other because if we don’t then an empty vision will turn into an empty building. And you, I, us will not be able to blame anyone except me, you, we for it.
And don’t forget the 19,000 lost people in Greenville. God will not and if we don’t start once more being the church, God will raise up another people to reach those 19,000 because he will never forget them.
posted by j_cardinell at
2:56 PM
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