Quick thought. I saw this quote on Dallas Willard’s page today and thought I’d post it here to provoke some thought and conversation.
The purpose of church is to form a community of love
where the bad habits of life are broken.
So my question is this:
If you could find a church like this, what kinds of things do you think they would do when they got together?
Love it, JR. Thanks for biting!
I really like the emphasis on "interpersonal connectedness outside of structured meetings" as well. I think that's a key: that the meetings are concrete manifestations of relationships.
I think they would accept and love everyone. They would talk about their personal feelings, hurts, pains, etc. And reflect on them and how to get past them, together.
I think they would spread the love that they know of around and around and around. Like Cream cheese on a bagel LOL
They would go out to see things that would get them really really dirty. So dirty it would enrage themselves and enlighten them at the same time. They would then go out and be a change to whatever it is they saw. Things wouldn't be so scheduled. Because I like chaos. lol IDK
Church to me would be enlightening, enraging, and encouraging each other. Getting really messy with life and not jumping into the shower right away. I don't know. I don't go to church…but I would like this…
Is this still church?
Thanks Daniel! I appreciate hearing your thoughts. I think the kind of community you're describing really IS church, if it's centered on Jesus. Sure doesn't look like what we're used to, though, does it?
The task of organized religion is not to prove that God was in the 1st century, but that he is in the 21st. -S. H. Miller
I like that emphasis, Merv. I would add that we "prove" the good news by living in its power. The best apologetic for the gospel is a community that believes it, etc.
Play Apples to Apples with each other and our unchurched friends, too, until the talk spirals naturally into God stuff. And we'd have fun doing it, too.
Fantastic!