FaceBook

So, I joined Facebook...I thought having a "blog" was hip...woah. Facebook is WA-ay tech. But I've been thinking about our church's "motto" (which is completely the wrong word, but it's the only one I can conjure at this hour)..."BEYOND THE WALLS"... We are talking about getting on the "outside" of the building and actually DOING something. I consider it "DOING" the great commission. The book of Matthew, Chapter 28 vs 19 says "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations...". It does not say "Go and make Churches" or even "Go and make Church attenders". So. What is a disciple? Merriam-Webster.com defines a disciple as "one who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrines of another: one of the twelve in the inner circle of Christ's followers according to the Gospel accounts"... I'm not discounting churches or the need for believers to gather for fellowship and edification. I have merely been pondering the possibility that perhaps we as "followers of Christ" should be spending LESS time doing "Church" and more time doing "life". I can't help but think about where Jesus himself met most of his followers. It wasn't inside the synagogs. It was out where they lived and worked. And I don't recall reading anywhere about Christ saying "No, I can't go fishing with you today. I need to get to the synagog." Again, not that spending time with other belivers is bad...but where exactly does the "make disciples" role fit into our lifestyle? How are we "spreading the good news" (doctrine) by dedicating our lives to "serving the church...Sunday (Church, Sunday School, maybe a potluck lunch, perhaps a small group), Tuesday morning (Ladie's Bible Study), Wednesday evening (choir practice), Friday (Family fun time with small group), Saturday morning (Men's breakfast and church clean up)......where and when do we find the time to reach out? And who do we reach out to? Yes, we may invite our neighbors, acquaintances or co-workers to some "events" and sometimes even to "attend church". And sometimes they come. Many have been tremendously blessed merely by invitation. I am not discounting that either... My fear is that often we are so immersed in the culture of "Church" that we forget that there is an entire culture outside the four walls that wants nothing to do with the "church world". I imagine there are many that would think answering yes to, "Hey, why don't you come join our family at church for some fun" would be only slightly less painful than joining you at the dentist and undergoing a root canal with you. However, they may politely say "Oh, not today, I've got to...wash the neighbor's dog" Again, I'm not saying that invting people to church is negative...but is getting someone INTO the church building the goal? I'm just trying to figure out how exactly "making disciples" works. I can tell you it isn't getting someone into the church building...it has to be more than that...it has to be personal...something deeper...something more passionate than that. I am certainly not good at being "outside" my walls. My house walls, my church walls, my family walls...I like the comfort and the familiarity of knowing what to expect...and knowing I won't be challenged. Not very "out there"... So now I'm on this FaceBook thing. And I'm "out there" looking for a job, interviewing, and facing the real possibility that in 30 days I'll be doing a job with "people" that are REALLY beyond my walls... Will I be able to "make disciples" and survive "the world"? TBC (to be continued...)