The Return
There's Nothing Like Being on a Great Team
“In early autumn, when the Israelites had settled in their towns, all the people assembled in Jerusalem with a unified purpose. . . . . . rebuilding the altar of the God of Israel . . . . . Even though the people were afraid of the local residents, they rebuilt the altar at its old site. Then they began to sacrifice burnt offerings on the altar to the LORD each morning and evening." Ezra 3:1-3(NLT)
Are You on a Great Team?
The Sixers are a great team. No stars, but a team that’s great because it’s bigger than any individual and it makes each better than they can be alone. And they have a unified purpose – to win as a team.
Their individual fears that the returning remnant had of the Jews and Samaritans left behind in Israel after the exile were subordinate to a greater purpose, the rebuilding of God’s Temple.
Big, even Huge, Question: Are you on a great team, one that exists for God’s purpose and is comprised of teammates for whom the team is bigger than an individual? It could be your family, or church, or a group . . . but are you? Don’t leave this life without that experience. It’s a taste of “the life that is truly life” (1 Timothy 6:19)
Prayer
“Lord, I am asking now, please lead me to whatever steps I need to take to find a great team to play on, or to do what it takes of me to make the team I’m now on to be a team that plays with a unified purpose for You”
I wonder about the difference between a church and team. A team can have a strong sense of unified purpose guided by a strong leader (or leadership team). But to be great, most teams would have to show that they are great by beating the competition. So, I guess a "great" church has to have a better reading of scripture than another church or show that they have higher standards than another church. (PCA churches would seem to be great because they don't ordain divorced ministers). I guess CLC can be kind of great by declaring homosexuals unfit for leadership and focusing attention on sexual morality. Jesus seemed more concerned with the poor and the outcasts than with sexual morality, but he probably wasn't worried about being great.
ReplyDeleteThe commenter is very narrow in his/her understanding of what a team is. A team is a group of people working together for a common purpose. While it is true that the common purpose of a sports team is to beat the competition, there are many other types of teams. I am part of a work team that is dedicated to improving the quality and meaningfulness of our company's reporting of environmental and sustainability metrics, for example. I am part of a home team that was dedicated to raising two children to know God and be compassionate to others. I know that Pastor Jeff is part of a team of Elders and staff who are truly dedicated to knowing, loving and being obedient to God; loving others; and bringing others to Christ through all sorts of means, including a focus on the poor and the outcast. I know that individually (among other teams) the pastor and many of the elders have dedicated countless hours and personal funds to humanatarian and medical missions in Romania, Kenya, Latin America, Urban Promise (Wilmington), and others. They have dedicated themselves to focusing the attention of the congregation on such things. And they are also dedicated to discerning God's will by understanding God's Word. While I have expressed (in one of the many meetings they have held to explain and take input) my doubts that they have this matter of gay ordination right (yet), I know that their intentions are pure; that they are agonizing over this subject; and that they are trying as best as they know how -- which is far better than most of us -- to discern God's will on the matter. I also know -- as do they -- that they are human and may not end in the right place (whichever place that may be). But it won't be due to their lack of love of God or love of all people. Finally, the amazing thing about that team is that they will be able to separate your underlying message from the acidic words and take it to heart in their discernment process.
DeleteThank-you for your generous response to my admittedly harsh comments. Your comments about teamwork are encouraging and a witness to CLC as a community of Christ followers.
DeleteI'd only say that history is littered with horrific examples of people who claimed to have discerned God's will. The only person who knew God's will was Jesus. The rest of us see through a glass darkly. I would only hope that the leadership team would use Jesus as a guide in their discernment process. I've seen no reference to the Gospels in any of the justifications for leaving the PC(USA).
Whatever CLC does, or whatever any 'church' does for that matter, the bottom line is this:
ReplyDelete'Church' does not define Christ.
Christ defines the church.
There is but one body and that body is to be guarded and alert. False teachers will come, and they are, as stated in Jude "men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit"
Each of us is placed with the responsibility to find Christ on our own. Yes, we are to encourage one another, meet with one another, love one another, through many members form a body, but this isn't a cookie cutter criteria. In the end we will be standing one at a time before the Lord. We are a priesthood, one priest at a time.
Blindly following can be a dangerous thing to do.
I don't know but it seems pretty simple to me, what is the point of leadership, if the leading is not encouraging us to please God but to displease God? With leadership like that, who needs leadership, we can all go down that path on our own.
Sexual Sin has a big place in what displeases God (Lev 18)
Jesus a direct representation of God and though His grace has saved us, it did not negate what displeases God
The point isn't a 'perfect, sinless' leader (for that is role only for our Savior), the point is a leader who will recognize sin and love his body enough to not want them to do it.
Would one want to stay under the leadership of someone who not only continues to sin, but insists that sin is acceptable and right?
Its not about rules, it is about Jesus.