REFLECTIONS: What's a Life-Giving Church?

I get asked a lot about what kind of church we are. And it's a perfectly reasonable question. People want to know what kind of community you are and who you're associated with.

But what I find most interesting is the NEXT question, I get. What do you believe?

Hmmm…

We believe in Jesus. We believe in God. We believe in the power of the Spirit.

No, no, they say. What do you believe?!?

That God became a human being in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. That Jesus preached, ministered, and was killed on a cross for who we was, what he said, and what he did. Three days later, God's power was revealed as Jesus was resurrected from the dead demonstrating God's awesome life-giving power over death's power to destroy and annihilate. The spirit of God lives on in those who follow Jesus - and it's the same spirit that offers life in the midst of death that we see demonstrated in the resurrection.

That's what we believe.

No, no, they say. WE believe that! What else do you believe?

And that's the point where the conversation ends - as if any of the human-made doctrinal "stuff" that some religious organizations proclaim as "essential" has any power to define who people are "in" Christ.

But there's new life among churches. Followers of Jesus are beginning to awaken to God's power as it is given increase through obedience and subjection to Him. Churches are beginning to proclaim God's immense LOVE for us as experienced in COMMUNITY. And in that love, we are changed, transformed, radically re-created and re-newed. Churches are proclaiming the simple "abudant life" way (John 10:10) instead of a legalistic, iconoclastic rule and belief defining way.

Life-giving churches have moved beyond the need to define themselves by a "What We Believe" statement and instead speak of "Who We Are." Life-giving churches would much rather speak of the fruits of the spirit revealed in the life of a congregation (Galatians 5:22-26). They prefer to tell stories of lives that have been resurrected from darkness to lives of simple life and love. They prefer to speak of joy and obedience and love over condemnation, judgment and "hellfire" (which usually only follow a statement of someone's religious preferences!).

Honestly? People in this world feel condemned already. They know what behaviors deal death. They know what breaks up relationships and families. They know what causes stress, anxiety, and despair. They aren't looking for new knowledge. They are looking for a new way of BEING in life. Indeed, they are looking for life itself. More "head knowledge" isn't going to help.

What's a life-giving church? It's a church that lives out the inexpressible joy of Jesus. It praises. It prays. It lives confidently! It doesn't apologize at all for what God is doing in its midst. It serves selflessly because it has experienced something very powerful. It has experienced the wonderful power of God's saving, life-giving hand at a time when its people only knew despair and brokenness. And that's an experience that warrants proclamation, joy-filled praise, and humble spirit-filled giving to others!