Gospel-Centered Church Seeding
The power of God is not in our wisdom or in our techniques; those things threaten to empty the cross of its power.
—Thabiti Anyabwile
The more the gospel transforms our lives, the more our lives will touch other lives. Out of that, God, not us, will build his church.
Our modern leadership mindset demands that we see exactly how the process (A) will proceed through various stages and objectives (B) to achieve the desired results (C).
But, instead, the gospel gives us a process (A) that seems like foolishness (service, hospitality, proclaiming the gospel in public, baptizing, discipling, etc.) and the desired result (C) that seems way out of proportion to the process (a growing community of believers/missionaries), and then demands that we have faith that the Spirit of Jesus will take our foolish efforts and create the results he desires.
In other words, it’s not up to us to figure out (B). It’s up to us to do (A) and let the Spirit take us from (A) to (C).
I know this is way countercultural in the modern church. But search the New Testament. If you find anything you feel contradicts what I’ve said, let’s talk about it.
Now, if we add our own desires and demands to (C), then we’re going to have to add some of our own objectives or techniques (B) to make sure it all turns out the way we want. I’m not saying that God might not still bless it if we add our own demands or desires. But, really . . . guess which is the better option.
For the last several months at The Heights, I’ve urged patience and waiting on the Lord’s timing. But at the same time, I’ve continually urged us to find ways to make genuine relationships with those who don’t know Christ, offer hospitality, and, as opportunities arise, present the gospel. Those are the things that, for whatever reason, the church in our culture finds difficult to do. But they are also what, in my understanding, the New Testament demands.
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