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What Is Church? May 27, 2008

Posted by stevensc in church.
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  I was having a conversation with my wife’s grandfather and uncle yesterday about the two extreme ends of the spectrum as to the definition of a church.  The far right consists of those who are ultra traditional, not necessarily in doctrine, but in methodology and practice.  These are the members and churches that have grown cold, irrelevant, and unfruitful.  Then the far left consists of certain branches of the emergent movement in which three guys meet at a bar to drink beer, smoke cigars, and “talk about God”.  Both sides would argue that they are a church. 

 

But if we are going to build, care for, and have church, shouldn’t we have a concrete definition of what a church is?  Once we understand what it is, then we can easily figure out what it is not.  I heard the best definition of a church that I have ever heard today.  I’ll share it with you on a later post, but first I’m curious….HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE CHURCH?  WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?

Eight Laws of Spiritual Growth May 25, 2008

Posted by stevensc in Growth, Leadership.
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  I wish I could take credit for this one, but the ultimate praise goes to God with a huge “thank you” to Rick Warren for discoverying these laws through prayer and study of the Scripture.  After a study of how Jesus made disciples, Rick came to the following 8 Laws of Spiritual Growth:

 

1.  Spiritual Growth is incarnational–The Christian life is not imitation, but inhabitation.  Galatians 2:20 tells us that “Christ lives in me”.  Spiritual Growth is both mystical and practical.  All of the best practices make no difference without the Holy Spirit, because He is the one who transforms.  I have a part and God has a part.

2.  Spiritual Growth is intentional–Maturity is not inevitable.  You can grow old without growing up.  Maturity is not automatic.  We grow by making commitments.  Maturity is a choice since you are only as close to God as you choose to be.

Jesus had a method that was systematic and graduated in nature.  1)  Come and See  2)Eat my flesh and drink my blood  3)  Take up your cross, deny yourself.  It’s a long process to move people from “come and see” to “come and die”.

3.  Spiritual Growth is incremental–We grow through a step-by-step process.  A baby must learn to breath before it learns to eat, etc.  KNOW, LOVE, GROW, SERVE, SHARE Christ…in sequence

4.  Spiritual Growth is personal–You can’t mass produce disciples.  There is no “one size fits all” approach to turn out strong disciples.

5.  Spiritual Growth is habitual–We grow by developing good habits (a.k.a. spiritual disciplines).  1)  Assign homework like “go and make disciples” 2)Journal and write down your prayers  3)Drive Time Devotions are used to download to your ipods  4) Daily email devotionals 5)Offer a guide to fasting

6.  Spiritual Growth is Communal/Relational–We only grow in community.  You cannot grow without love.  Tools to use here are 1)Small Groups  2)Spiritual Coaches  3)Retreats.

7.  Spiritual Growth is multi-dimensional–Real maturity is far more than knowing; it is about “being” and “doing”.  Maturity is behavior and belief.  You only believe the part of the Bible you do!

8.  Spiritual Growth is Seasonal–We grow in spurts