Mere Discipleship: Radical Christianity in a Rebellious World by Lee C. Camp ---
Grace must not be constrained to the sphere of "religion"; disciples must seek to embody economic, social, and political practices of grace.
For a start, this would mean we cast a suspicious eye upon the subtle health-and-wealth assumptions undergirding many segments of American Christianity. We have deep roots in some of those early Puritan convictions that assumed wealth simply to be the product of godliness and poverty the result of sin. Such a subtle assumption may belie our need to rationalize our own comfortable lifestyles and the relative ease with which many of us accumulate the luxuries we do. Not until we profoundly question such an assumption will we be able to minister fully as the body of Christ. Not until we catch a glimpse of the grace undergirding our own existence will we have a desire to share those blessings with others. Not until we realize that we do not deserve all that we have can Christians ever begin to get a grasp of the biblical vision of economics. We live, we exist, we breathe by grace. (pp. 168-9)
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Grace unleashed
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5 comments:
Just getting convinced that "we do not deserve" all that we have is no small feat! And the last statement about breathing by grace is so true. If I were to stop breathing, and demanded to start again, that demand would have no effect on whether I actually began breathing again or not! Yet we demand so many other things that are non essential to existence. We are all about comfort and convenience - I know I'm that way. Perhaps our internalized demand for comfort and convenience is why we're so stagnant as believers. Maybe that's why little changes in our lives.
I've been challenged this morning in my thinking. There's a woman here in town that I believe is nearly homeless and I've had a couple encounters with her and one was this morning. The selfish side of me sees this human being as "someone to help" - which configures "me" and my spiritual benefit first and foremost. This person doesn't exist in poverty to give me an opportunity to feel good about my actions! And sometimes, I think that is how we view those deemed as "less fortunate"--as if they exist ultimately for our benefit! We ignore them when its incovenient to deal with them, and then (during the holidays) when it's convenient to thinkg about them, we throw some money their way and feel good in our hearts for doing the right thing! Back to this woman I know... The selfless thing to do is not to part with as much cash as I can afford, but the more important task would be to meet her physical needs, befriend her, share the gospel, and get this woman involved with the Church. The really sad fact is this - the first three tasks would not be that difficult - not nearly as difficult as the fourth. I can't think of a congregation that would rally behind this person as an equal to support and encourage her for the long haul. Getting in the narrow gate can be difficult, but not nearly as difficult as staying on the path. And without an interventional body of brothers and sisters, we're turning new converts back to the wolves. Just wrestling with this today.
A little more... What would a place or a ministry look like that truly broke cycles of poverty (Both material and spiritual)? It would look a lot like the Church back in Acts!
There would be a place--warm and clean and dry to stay, there would be people sharing God's love and introducing people to His provision for them in Jesus. It would be a place of prayer! There would be people creating strong friendships with those being served - friendships that would last and serve as encouragers in the journey for the long-term. Training would happen to enable people to learn essential skills, assistance with finding work to financially support themselves, and a continuing connection to support them emotionally, spiritually, and physically. It would be a place open for all with a reputation of changed lives.
It would be The Church-- His Body in action!
...guess I better get back to work. (haha)
The key concept, when thinking of how church should work, is relationship. We are to be a community of faith- interelated, involved in one another's life. This contrasts with the dominate culture of our day. American culture emphasizes the individual over the community. Our understanding of the gospel has as a result come to be understood in terms of the individual over against community.
Back to poverty-- Ruby K. Payne states that the most resource a person needs in order to move out of poverty is a key relationship.
It is imperative that we strive to rethink our understanding of discipleship and church. "Sharing the Gospel" is less like selling a product and more like making friends.
For me, it is very exciting to think of the profound impact a Sunshine community of faith could have on ourselves as well as those in immediate proximity to us.
These ideas are not just passing through for me. To the extent that I am a leader within the Sunshine congregation, I want to promote a culture change, if you will, toward a more communal way of thinking and interacting.
I agree...relationships are the key to success for a lot of things. We hear a lot about a personal relationship with Jesus, but since the Church is His body, I'm wondering what type of personal relationship with Christ wouldn't be conjoined with fellow believers? I've heard this taught in Catholic circles regarding the centrality of the Church.
A communal way of thinking and acting is soooo contrary to Americanism. Although, it can't be forced by the government - the communalism that follows faith in Christ would obviously have one key factor: it would never be compulsory - but "willing."
I read a book a few months ago that talks about how to become a missional church rather than an attractional church. It is entitled "Mission Dei, In the Crisis of Christianity" by Fred Petross. Here is a link with a book review: https://secure.zoegroup.org/filter.asp?SID=2&fi_key=75&co_key=1440
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