Colossians 3:16
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in you hearts to the Lord.
I think maybe this should be the demeanor we carry around all day- every day.
Not just at church.
I believe that we learn how to do this in our meetings.
In fact, our meetings (in my opinion) should be filled with interaction among the people.
It really isn't about me, standing up front like someone who has all the answers. It is about everyone in the room bringing something to the table when we gather.
Now take from me.......this is a hard habit to break. We have been programmed by years of repetitive pew sitting to think that our main role is to listen and fill out the blanks in the bulletin during the pastors sermon.
I firmly believe that the best messages we need to hear could come from the group and not the pastor. Now before you go all postal on me, bear in mind that I'm not advocating a religious free-for-all. I just believe that church should be a place where everyone has an opportunity to share what God has given to them. It might be a 'praise report', or it might involve a verse that was read during the week that had an impact on that person. Someone may have a song or hymn on their heart and suggest that it be sung. Someone may have need of prayer for healing. The bottom line is that the entire church has an opportunity to have a voice in the meeting.
My goal for Vineyard Recovery Church is to help everyone who attends understand that they get to do the works of Christ. It isn't just those who "have been called"...(Pastors and deacons...elders and Sunday school teachers)....but everyone. I want everyone to know that if you've been saved, then you are called to be "Salt and Light" to a darkened world.
It is my conviction that people want to work...they really want to do something for Christ.
But no one has ever told them they could. No one has ever showed them how to pray for people. No one has ever taken the time to teach them how to hear God. No one has told them that God truly wants then to engage with the people they meet and do the works of Christ.
We took baby steps at our meeting last night.
I passed out slips of paper and told every one to write down the biggest thing they were struggling with. It might be a financial situation It may be a physical problem. But no matter what it was, I wanted it to be personal and not write down something pertaining to a family member or friend. We took up the slips of paper and put them in a bowl. I drew out a slip and read what was written. I then asked for volunteers who had never ministered before. I picked two out and gave them the slip of paper, instructing them to find a place where they could pray together. One by one we went through the slips until the room was filled with people paired off, praying over their slip. There was an energy in the room because they were getting to "Do the stuff" as John Wimber use to refer to ministry.
It may not seem like a big thing to some, but this was huge for our group.
It wasn't about me, standing up front like I was the only one who was tapped by God to minister. It was about the body of Christ being the body of Christ. How cool was that?
It was a good night.
Let's get together and do it again next Saturday.
God on you....
mb
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