This One's for the Girls

The Cross Driven Life

If you've known me very long, you know I'm not a huge fan of Rick Warren's material.  I believe the church should be God-centered rather than seeker-centered, and my heart's desire is that the lost would be attracted to a "cross-driven" life.  My prayer is that men and women would see a life that is crucified--  a life that is passionate about God.  If people are only attracted to me because I look and sound like the world, well, blech!   And if a church can't stand on the Bible and specific points therein, such as the atoning blood of Christ, or eternal judgement in hell-fire--that church is nothing more than another club.  Like the Kiwanas. Or the Lion's Club.

So, today as I was reading from Robbie Castleman's Parenting in the Pew--  I felt that I stumbled onto a little gem when I read the following words:

The best kind of seeker service is one where the unchurched people feel two things:  "I don't belong here!" and "I want to belong here!"   The mysterium tremendum, God's fearful majesty, is off-putting and in-drawing at the same time.  The "throne of Grace" is still a throne, not a rocking chair or floor pillow.  The church is not another club to join.  It is the body of Christ, the presence of the kingdom of God in the world.  What a privilege to invite our friends and their children to worship the King!"

The mysterium tremendum.  Amen.

Depressed? Serve!

Helping others is God's antidepressant; we should take a liberal dose on a regular basis.

This is just a little nibble from an excellent post by Carol at She Lives.  But don't take my word for it--check it out yourself!

Wherever Two or Three are Gathered

Ahhhhh--after a day of being up to my elbows in wallpaper glue--I'm done and sitting in my favorite, late-night bloggin' chair.  Summer goals are being clicked off, one by one.  I can now say:  Wallpaper hall bathroom?  Check!

As is often the case, Jules over at Everyday Mommy has an interesting discussion going on pertaining to the church.  After I left a comment over at her place, I stumbled onto an old post by Tim at Challies.com.  I thought I'd share it a portion of it for you to ponder:

I wonder how the church would change if discipline were taken seriously. I wonder how many goats would immediately flee the assembly of the sheep. But wouldn't the church be better for it? Mark Dever observes that "Jesus intended our lives to back up our words. If our lives don't back up our words, the evangelistic task is injured, as we have seen so terribly this last century in America. Undisciplined churches have actually made it harder for people to hear the Good News of new life in Jesus Christ." I fully agree. Churches in which the members show little evidence of the Spirit's work of sanctification appeal to the world and harm the task of evangelism. Laxity in this area brings harm and shame to the church of Jesus Christ.

The great irony may be that those churches which are most concerned with evangelism are those which do the most to harm their own witness with their BLOATED, OFTEN LARGELY-UNREGENERATE MEMBERSHIP.  [emphasis mine]

So, what do you think?  Does your church practice Biblical church discipline?  Do you understand what Biblical church discipline is?  Do you think your church's evangelistic task is being hindered because of the lack of church discipline?  Let me hear from you.

“Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.  But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that  ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’  And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector...  For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”~Matthew 18:15-17, 20