Body of Christ
The Bible clearly states that as followers of Jesus, as Christians that we are the body of Christ. It is clear that Jesus is the head of His body, that we are not under subjection to priests or pastors or any man, but only under Jesus Christ Himself. He is the head he motivates our responses and actions as part of the body. It ultimately comes from the head and the brain, being Jesus. Furthur proving the point that there is nothing in us that is good, but it all simply flows from Jesus. We are just the conduits in which He has chosen to reveal himself in the world today. This is a very awesome opportunity, this means we actually get to have God live through us. That He has chosen to now intervene with this fallen world through us, of course mainly through Jesus. But we being the body have a part of this. The head is what motivates the action. But the body is what is seen doing the action. We have the awesome opportunity to have our lives used by God to show Himself to the world. So when we really think about phrases like "preaching with your life", "living out your christianity" or things like this. This is really what we are called to do. We are not called to do it on our own. We have Jesus. God actually lives through us. It is our job to be humble enough to admit that we are just the body that we can do nothing without the head. That we can't function without it. That the head must get all the credit for what the body does. So we need to stop trying to live our lives for God and just let God live through us. We need to recognize that we ourselves can not do any good a part from Christ. This is a difficult thing to swallow sometimes as human beings, that the first step to honoring God is not doing good things for Him. but rather admiting our frailties and our inabilities and then just being obedient and letting God live through us.This task of being the body of Christ is very challenging at the same time. That often times being the body of Christ and claim that we are, all eyes will be upon us and that is what should happen when we let others around us know that we are followers of a living God who choses to reveal and interact with mankind and has chosen us as followers of him to live our lives in a way that points to Him. But with all the eyes on us, people will often see how often we fall and misrepresent Christ. And this happens a lot. This bothers me a lot too. Becuase of all the people who claim to follow Jesus, but yet refuse to yeild their bodies and lives to allow God to live through them and to be living glimpses of God and redemption to people aroudn them through the way they live their lives. But I also must remember being human beings, being prideful, which is at the sinful nature of every human being I believe, we will fall and misrepresent Christ often times. And this is unfortunate, but this happens all the time to even the most passionate followers of Christ. This happens when our fallen sinful nature wins out over our redeemed, new nature that Christ has given us in salvation.The whole concept of Jesus being the head of the church also has implications in the realm of the structure of churches today. The question that has been buggin me lately is the concept of the pastor leading and running a church. Nowhere in the Bible is the term pastor a position, it is used mostly as a verb. Yes there is the need to for church planters, apostles, prophets and teachers today. But is the way we have churches set- up unbiblical having one person run the church, the body. Shouldn't the body function as a unit, each memeber contributing equally, with Christ as the head?Anyway enough rambling.....Confessions of a recovering pharisee, hopeful church planter, young adult/college group co-ordinator, follower of Jesus.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Body of Christ
The Bible clearly states that as followers of Jesus, as Christians that we are the body of Christ. It is clear that Jesus is the head of His body, that we are not under subjection to priests or pastors or any man, but only under Jesus Christ Himself. He is the head he motivates our responses and actions as part of the body. It ultimately comes from the head and the brain, being Jesus. Furthur proving the point that there is nothing in us that is good, but it all simply flows from Jesus. We are just the conduits in which He has chosen to reveal himself in the world today. This is a very awesome opportunity, this means we actually get to have God live through us. That He has chosen to now intervene with this fallen world through us, of course mainly through Jesus. But we being the body have a part of this. The head is what motivates the action. But the body is what is seen doing the action. We have the awesome opportunity to have our lives used by God to show Himself to the world. So when we really think about phrases like "preaching with your life", "living out your christianity" or things like this. This is really what we are called to do. We are not called to do it on our own. We have Jesus. God actually lives through us. It is our job to be humble enough to admit that we are just the body that we can do nothing without the head. That we can't function without it. That the head must get all the credit for what the body does. So we need to stop trying to live our lives for God and just let God live through us. We need to recognize that we ourselves can not do any good a part from Christ. This is a difficult thing to swallow sometimes as human beings, that the first step to honoring God is not doing good things for Him. but rather admiting our frailties and our inabilities and then just being obedient and letting God live through us.This task of being the body of Christ is very challenging at the same time. That often times being the body of Christ and claim that we are, all eyes will be upon us and that is what should happen when we let others around us know that we are followers of a living God who choses to reveal and interact with mankind and has chosen us as followers of him to live our lives in a way that points to Him. But with all the eyes on us, people will often see how often we fall and misrepresent Christ. And this happens a lot. This bothers me a lot too. Becuase of all the people who claim to follow Jesus, but yet refuse to yeild their bodies and lives to allow God to live through them and to be living glimpses of God and redemption to people aroudn them through the way they live their lives. But I also must remember being human beings, being prideful, which is at the sinful nature of every human being I believe, we will fall and misrepresent Christ often times. And this is unfortunate, but this happens all the time to even the most passionate followers of Christ. This happens when our fallen sinful nature wins out over our redeemed, new nature that Christ has given us in salvation.The whole concept of Jesus being the head of the church also has implications in the realm of the structure of churches today. The question that has been buggin me lately is the concept of the pastor leading and running a church. Nowhere in the Bible is the term pastor a position, it is used mostly as a verb. Yes there is the need to for church planters, apostles, prophets and teachers today. But is the way we have churches set- up unbiblical having one person run the church, the body. Shouldn't the body function as a unit, each memeber contributing equally, with Christ as the head?Anyway enough rambling.....Confessions of a recovering pharisee, hopeful church planter, young adult/college group co-ordinator, follower of Jesus.
The Bible clearly states that as followers of Jesus, as Christians that we are the body of Christ. It is clear that Jesus is the head of His body, that we are not under subjection to priests or pastors or any man, but only under Jesus Christ Himself. He is the head he motivates our responses and actions as part of the body. It ultimately comes from the head and the brain, being Jesus. Furthur proving the point that there is nothing in us that is good, but it all simply flows from Jesus. We are just the conduits in which He has chosen to reveal himself in the world today. This is a very awesome opportunity, this means we actually get to have God live through us. That He has chosen to now intervene with this fallen world through us, of course mainly through Jesus. But we being the body have a part of this. The head is what motivates the action. But the body is what is seen doing the action. We have the awesome opportunity to have our lives used by God to show Himself to the world. So when we really think about phrases like "preaching with your life", "living out your christianity" or things like this. This is really what we are called to do. We are not called to do it on our own. We have Jesus. God actually lives through us. It is our job to be humble enough to admit that we are just the body that we can do nothing without the head. That we can't function without it. That the head must get all the credit for what the body does. So we need to stop trying to live our lives for God and just let God live through us. We need to recognize that we ourselves can not do any good a part from Christ. This is a difficult thing to swallow sometimes as human beings, that the first step to honoring God is not doing good things for Him. but rather admiting our frailties and our inabilities and then just being obedient and letting God live through us.This task of being the body of Christ is very challenging at the same time. That often times being the body of Christ and claim that we are, all eyes will be upon us and that is what should happen when we let others around us know that we are followers of a living God who choses to reveal and interact with mankind and has chosen us as followers of him to live our lives in a way that points to Him. But with all the eyes on us, people will often see how often we fall and misrepresent Christ. And this happens a lot. This bothers me a lot too. Becuase of all the people who claim to follow Jesus, but yet refuse to yeild their bodies and lives to allow God to live through them and to be living glimpses of God and redemption to people aroudn them through the way they live their lives. But I also must remember being human beings, being prideful, which is at the sinful nature of every human being I believe, we will fall and misrepresent Christ often times. And this is unfortunate, but this happens all the time to even the most passionate followers of Christ. This happens when our fallen sinful nature wins out over our redeemed, new nature that Christ has given us in salvation.The whole concept of Jesus being the head of the church also has implications in the realm of the structure of churches today. The question that has been buggin me lately is the concept of the pastor leading and running a church. Nowhere in the Bible is the term pastor a position, it is used mostly as a verb. Yes there is the need to for church planters, apostles, prophets and teachers today. But is the way we have churches set- up unbiblical having one person run the church, the body. Shouldn't the body function as a unit, each memeber contributing equally, with Christ as the head?Anyway enough rambling.....Confessions of a recovering pharisee, hopeful church planter, young adult/college group co-ordinator, follower of Jesus.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Re-Jesus
Oh yea forgot to mention that the reason I feel like this young adult ministry will be able to partner with other churches and denominations is becuase we want to focus on the person of Jesus and Re-Jesus ourselves and go back to the founder of our churches Jesus and actually try to live out his teachings and recognize him as truly God, which we often forget. We want to major on the majors and we feel there is not better place to start than that of Jesus.
Hope for people who have given up on church. Re-calibrating ourselves around the person of Jesus and submitting ourselves to his teachings. A community for young adults that provides a safe place to ask spiritual questions. To know Jesus and make him known. To love God and love people. - This is the mission statement of a young adult ministry i'm starting at my church. Now I jus need a name for the group that describes this. And it can't be something too churchy and un-original. I want it to be so that you can't recognize that this a a church related group at first, just by the name.
God is really beginning to broaden the vision for this young adult ministry. And it is a lot bigger than me, calvary, the young adult ministry, the AG, our jus the immediate area. I feel like this is gonna be about young adults all over the philly, wyncote, glenside, jenkintown area and its gonna involve other churches and other denominations which is awesome to see churches able to partner like that. And its starting to take shape in some talks with other college ministries in the area. We must not forget the big picture of what God is doin in an area, not just our own ministry or church or denomination. God do your thing, thanks for letting me be apart of it.
God is really beginning to broaden the vision for this young adult ministry. And it is a lot bigger than me, calvary, the young adult ministry, the AG, our jus the immediate area. I feel like this is gonna be about young adults all over the philly, wyncote, glenside, jenkintown area and its gonna involve other churches and other denominations which is awesome to see churches able to partner like that. And its starting to take shape in some talks with other college ministries in the area. We must not forget the big picture of what God is doin in an area, not just our own ministry or church or denomination. God do your thing, thanks for letting me be apart of it.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Sermon/Sermon series ideas
Just was thinkg about some sermon/ sermon series ideas to start off our young adult ministry here they are:
-1st week> this is actually the one i'm least sure on, but thinking a gospel passage that talks about Jesus calling his first disciples, to introduce people to who Jesus is and to show that people didn't accept Jesus as God/a savior when they first starting following him. They eventuall found that out, but not right awa
-Luke 15 - the prodigal son, such a great story to show God's love for those who have gone astray and how much He loves them and favors them in some senses over those who have not gone astray
-Matthew 15 > a great passage talking about how obeying God and scriptures should be valued higher than the simple traditions of church. We need to remembe this today. So relevant
-Sermon on the mount and the conclusion with the parable of the two foundations/ builders
talking about actually putting the sermon on the mount into practice, how Jesus intended it
Then thinking about going into a sermon series about Jesus views on different things
Jesus on:
- religion/christianity
-who he is
-the poor
-ethics
-salvation
-following him
- heaven/hell
-the kingdom of God
-the Holy Spirit
Just some ideas, but really feeling God has placed them in my heart.
Grace and Peace,
-1st week> this is actually the one i'm least sure on, but thinking a gospel passage that talks about Jesus calling his first disciples, to introduce people to who Jesus is and to show that people didn't accept Jesus as God/a savior when they first starting following him. They eventuall found that out, but not right awa
-Luke 15 - the prodigal son, such a great story to show God's love for those who have gone astray and how much He loves them and favors them in some senses over those who have not gone astray
-Matthew 15 > a great passage talking about how obeying God and scriptures should be valued higher than the simple traditions of church. We need to remembe this today. So relevant
-Sermon on the mount and the conclusion with the parable of the two foundations/ builders
talking about actually putting the sermon on the mount into practice, how Jesus intended it
Then thinking about going into a sermon series about Jesus views on different things
Jesus on:
- religion/christianity
-who he is
-the poor
-ethics
-salvation
-following him
- heaven/hell
-the kingdom of God
-the Holy Spirit
Just some ideas, but really feeling God has placed them in my heart.
Grace and Peace,
Good to be home
Never really thought I'd be back home in the area hanging out with old friends when I was in college. But God has lead me back to the area for ministry at this time. And it has been really cool to connect again with old friends who I havent seen in a while. Its funny who God works things out sometimes.
a "God thing"
A couple weeks ago I had no idea really what I was going to be doing when I graduated. Me and some friends were talking about planting a church and all and I was all for that. But that didn't exactly develop all that well. So then I really had no idea what I was gonna do. Everyone else was off getting youth pastor positions or other open positions in a church. And I didn't wanna do something I didn't wanna just be a part of a church that is just existing, I have some things I wanna see changed in churches. So there I stood having no where to go upon graduation. But no I am starting a young adult ministry at my church, I am creating sermon series already, meeting with a campus pastor at a local college about connecting with different churches in the area and laying down denominational issues and partnering for the caused of Christ. I have no idea how these all came to be really, all I know is that this a "God thing" as Pastor Gerry Stoltzfoos would say. And he is really just bringing this all together for his glory and his purposes, I am just a vessel to bring about what He is doing. Its easy to forget that it is God doing it all and bringing it all together. We can get exciting about what is going on, but we must not forget that it is God bringing about His plans and purposes, it is nothing that we are doing in or of ourselves. I am definately exciting about what God is doing with this ministry and in this area with college aged students. Its something really big, I can feel it. God wants to reach people in this greater Philadelphia area who may have given up on the church and may have issues with all the stuff that goes on in a church, but wants to bring them back and unite around the person of Jesus. God let your will be done here, let me never forget that it is you bringing about your purposes. "Let him who boasts, boast in Christ alone"
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