As we have moved into a new facility the question has come up: what is Cornerstone about and how are we doing? The answer to the first part of the question could be stated in several ways but each response would ultimately boil down to this: Cornerstone is about loving God and loving others. We use the statement that “God wants to change the World by touching lives in
In the past we wrestled with this topic and concluded that there are several areas Cornerstone needs to emphasize in order to be faithful to God’s calling. These are not the only things necessary for ongoing discipleship, but because we have so many people who are with us for only a few years (primarily university students) we felt these are areas we should focus on. In hopes of helping people remember what these are we chose five words that begin with the letter I and called them the “5 I’s.” (Now isn’t that catchy!) They are “invite”, “include”, “involve”, “invest” and “intercede”.
The first I, “Invite”, focuses on the area of inviting people to consider following Jesus Christ. I like how Andrew invites Nathanael to consider Jesus, saying simply “Come and see!” (John 1:46). To invite someone is not to browbeat or manipulate them. It is to be excited about what you have discovered in Jesus (like Andrew) and to tell your friend “come and see!” It is to take seriously your friend’s value as being created in the image of God and to realize that is exactly why Jesus Christ came: “to seek and to save what was lost (Luke 19:10).” A person only seeks something that is lost because of its value to him. Jesus left the glory of heaven (Philippians 2:5-11) to seek the lost, and the value of each person is seen in that Jesus willingly gave up his life on the cross for them.
Because Jesus sees their value and knows they are created in the image of God, he treats them with dignity. This means he doesn’t coerce or manipulate a response but allows the person the right to decide. That is why we have chosen to use the word “invite”. It expresses a heartfelt desire for the person to join with us in following Jesus, but one that gives the person the respect and dignity to exercise their choice: yes or no.
This November we used the Natural Church Development survey to assess the health of Cornerstone. We received the results and learned that we are doing “okay”. Our average score of the eight factors measured is a 53 (which puts us just above the mean of 50). Our maximum factor is holistic small groups at 62 and our minimum factor is need-oriented evangelism at 45. [They use three words to describe need-oriented evangelism: prayer, care and share. What do these word choices reveal?]
This assessment indicates that we love being together but we are not doing very well inviting others to join us. I would like to ask you to consider why that is and what we might do to grow in this area. Leave your comments here (the link is at the bottom of this article), send me an email or drop us a message on the church phone. Most important, ask the Lord for His input on this topic. As we seek God’s will and wrestle with this together I think we might be surprised by what God says and does.
"My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Don't you have a saying, 'It's still four months until harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now those who reap draw their wages, even now they harvest the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad togheter. Thus the saying 'One sows and another reaps' is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor." John 4:34-38
1 comment:
John Doty said...
Romantic love, materialism, self-help ideologies, and consumerism are, I believe the “LORDS” of today’s world. Yet Christ “in us, the hope of glory” (Paul, Colossians) calls for Spirit-given radical new birth, that looks at life not through advertising’s come-on’s, E-harmony’s sales pitch, or a me-first approach to this world. Christ calls us to follow Him, as Paul says, to confess (declare, proclaim, admit) that Jesus Christ is LORD, not self, not stuff, not society. In so doing, we are not alone, but stand with a host of saints who have sacrificed everything simply to know the love-relationship, the radical dedication to service, the new life that is in Christ Jesus.
Too often our churches accommodate this world, blending in to society, relating to each other and the world, the flesh, and the devil more as friends, with a more important message and social standing than our commitment to Jesus Christ. One preacher announces the sports scores for his LA teams every Sunday, another passes on Jay Leno jokes, and a third spends more time noticing the faith-allusions in current media than drawing out the implications of salvation by faith through grace, the call to “sin no more,” and the charge to speak a prophetic voice to our society and challenge the status-pagan-quo.
I believe we are afraid to stand up for Jesus, to resist the popularity contests, and thus we don’t see much in the way of radical repentance and life-change, society-impacting service, or a prophetic voice that challenges corporate, governmental, and societal immorality. What then do we have to offer that is any different than, say, a Student’s Recreation Center, a popular bar or tavern, MTV, or the latest sports extravaganza? Meanwhile, in all these venues are people seeking, struggling, hurting, wishing they could cure their hurts, habits and hang-ups, their compulsions and addictions, their compliance with the norms and activities of all those around them.
I wonder what would happen if people knew that in our church there were self-admitted sinners, people submitting themselves to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, willing to go to any length to overcome their personal peccadilloes as well as their character faults, their egregious sins (Pride, Greed, Lust, Sloth, Envy, Wrath, and Gluttony [a favorite church sin]). What would happen if we challenged injustices such as judicial inequities for the poor (the law works best for those who can hire the best attorney) , or nationalistic pride and self-glorification which says “we act in our national interest” rather than according to the will of God?
Speaking as one who has been inside and part of many churches, and listened to many leaders of others, I have a general sense that congregations are more likely to be run by personality, politics, and powerful pillars, than all the vision statements, creeds, and music lyrics ever written. Unless we are willing to re-examine our paradigm of what “church” (ekklesia, cohel) really is, we will continue to find people attending church “for what I can get out of it,” and be tempted by the religious versions of French fires, donuts, and candy bars, rather than the solid organic spiritual food of a healthy church.
A simple thought experiment we each can apply to the consideration of church renewal, and spiritual awakening is the simple application of “the five whys.” Simply respond (preferably on paper) to the question “why do I do what I do in life?” (selecting the one thing that consumes your time, emotions, intellect, and physical presence), giving 5 reasons. Then for each of those five reasons, again ask yourself “why?” five times. This results in an exponential collection of answers, but there should be common themes. One caveat, the answers must be genuine, heartfelt, and searching, not trite, or answered in the cheap-and-easy-churc-answer, God or Jesus. For example, Why did I pursue X career?
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. And so on. Another approach is “what is my view of church?” and then apply the 5 why’s. This exercise might take you 30 minutes, but will be very revealing. I can’t answer for you. What do your answers reveal? What do you value? Does your lifestyle match your values?
Blessings,
JHD
12-19-2008
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