#Rethink: Church, the True Gospel, and the Power of Grace
Come along as we explore church outside of church, ponder the power of the gospel, and learn to give more grace.
#Rethink - January 2023
As we end January, let’s explore what the church looks like outside of corporate church, ponder the power of the true gospel to transform a whole family, and as we recognize that people do things for a reason, let’s learn to give more grace.
Can we find church outside of church?
I’ve been thinking a lot about church lately. Processing church stuff that happened years ago as well as more recent experiences. Learning about the New Apostolic Reformation (pretty scary). Watching far-right ideas from the cult days become mainstream. And also seeing more progressive Christians seem fine with deciding what theologies are right and wrong based solely on how they feel.
The church is a hot mess! I’m doing a lot of my processing on my podcast, so follow along for the next few weeks if you are interested.
Yet, despite the mess, it seems like more and more people are waking up, looking around, asking questions, and deciding that they want more than what they’ve found so far. I’ve had many incredible interactions lately with people who are over church but longing for Jesus!
I’ve begun to have experiences outside of the walls of a specific church building that feel very organically church-like and yet are not associated with any local church. Small gatherings of people who are on the same page and just want to talk about, or talk to, Jesus. My twice monthly prayer group is now made up of people from 3-4 different churches and backgrounds. We gather, briefly share, and then pray for an hour (but it doesn’t feel like an hour).
Some new friends who are certified spiritual directors are hosting events at their house/abbey centered around the Christian calendar. They had an Epiphany walk in January and a Lenten Lament is scheduled for the end of February. Gathering with other people who have also been burned by the traditional church but who haven’t given up on Jesus is amazing. It feels super real.
As I said last month, I’m still part of a local church. And I’m feeling cautiously optimistic with the place we’ve found. But these organic experiences with other believers outside of a corporation or program feel so satisfying. And even if the church building and community we currently attend end up being less than I hope for, I will still have church outside of that church.
The true Church of Jesus is the world-wide body of Christ made up of believers from every denomination, background, language, and country. Maybe it’s time we connected more with all of them.
“Although I didn’t know it at the time, a seed was planted in me that week that would one day grow into a global vision for reaching teens around the world with the gospel” - Greg Stier, Unlikely Fighter
Unlikely Fighter was an interesting read. I’d been generally familiar with Greg Stier and his Dare2Share Ministries, but I wasn’t aware of his background in legalistic, fundamental Christianity. I definitely didn’t know that I’d be reading a chapter where he described going to Bill Gothard’s Basic Seminar in such detail that I could hardly keep going. Wow! Talk about flashbacks!
We first encountered Dare2Share fifteen years ago when my husband and I were living in Wyoming, going to Bible School, and working as part-time youth pastors. We took our Jr. High youth group down to Colorado for a big weekend conference at an arena. Greg has had a huge impact on the way I understand the gospel. He’s the first person I ever heard start a gospel presentation with a reminder that God created us to be in a relationship with Him, rather than starting with what wretched sinners we are. He gave a simple, clear gospel that was easy to understand and remember. After being under his teaching, I felt confident to share the good news of Jesus with anyone who asked. Since I was pretty fresh out of my cult, this was even more exciting!
Greg’s memoir tells the story of how Jesus transformed his wild, body-building, fighting, crazy, extended family. And the part that blows my mind is that it was a conservative (even legalistic) Baptist preacher with a clear gospel message that God used to do it.
I came away with a reminder that God can use anything. He’s not limited by our misunderstandings. He can literally use anything to accomplish His plan. And even if we go through an independent fundamental season, or join a Christian cult, or get caught up in other non-biblical movements, He can still work and will work in our lives. That’s good news!
People do things for a reason.
I recently joined the threat assessment team at the school where I work. I’ll be fully trained and certified this summer, but I did my initial training this past Friday. As we discussed case studies of students who have created potential threats to themselves or others, I was struck by the common themes: isolation, disrupted family life, a lack of supportive adults, and feeling a lack of control in their personal life among others.
People do things for a reason.
When I was growing up in the behavior-based religion of my cult, the focus on was control. Stop sinning. Do the right thing. Avoid being worldly. Choose to be holy and set apart. Follow the rules.
People who did the right things were good. People who obviously sinned in these specific ways were bad. We never stopped to think about why we were drawn to certain sins or thought patterns, we were just told to stop.
Our world right now is so hostile that it’s ridiculous. We have become as least as black and white and us-versus-them as the people in my cult, maybe more. Christians too. Maybe even especially Christians.
I long for those of us who claim to follow Jesus to just step back for a moment. Recognize the grace we are consistently given, realize that we could be wrong, and take a moment to listen to the heart behind people’s actions and words. People do things for a reason. And if we stopped talking, started asking more questions, and took the time to listen with grace, we might discover that we are more alike than we think. Let’s choose grace!
Thanks for taking a moment to #Rethink some of our religious traditions and beliefs. I know that it can be scary to deconstruct and reconstruct our faith, but finding the Real Jesus is absolutely worth it. As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts, questions, or comments.