I do not know Francis Chan, but he seems to be connected with these websites.
=> http://crazylove.org/
=> http://wearechurch.com/Chan has an interesting idea. Instead of paying for a building and holding a church service every Sunday, Chan wants to fulfill Jesus’ command.
“Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.”
Chan argues that to obey that command we each have to make it something we each do, not just what the preacher does.
Instead of being about the pastor, Chan wants church to be about love shared by the members of the body of Jesus Christ. So he has come up with a church system which emphasizes small groups. That’s not a bad idea. Not even new. In fact, we know small groups work.
Is Chan creating what will become the best system for spreading the Gospel? Probably not, but his ideas are worth considering. I also think it is worth asking some questions. Am I obeying Jesus’ command? What can I help my church to do better?
Until church starts to feel like family, we are not doing it right. I know I am not there.
Great story from Francis Chan on creating a mega-church and what led him to leave.
- Many times Jesus challenges us to leave it all behind. God bless those who listen and obey.
- Is it all really about the numbers and money? I think we know what Jesus thinks. It is really only about love.
- What is “the church” really all about? What difference does it make in our communities? God has a plan for the church. It isn’t about the numbers. The church is about love. Here is what Jesus says! “Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.”
Amen. Good points. They asked Billy Graham recently if he would’ve done anything differently. He said, “I wouldn’t have preached in stadiums.” He went on to say that he would rather have preached to small groups and discipled them. A lot of wisdom there.
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What Billy Graham did was the fashion of the time. We imitate what seems to work because it gives it seems to give us personal success. We don’t always give much thought to what works best.
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I kind of enjoy him and I think he has some good ideas. I’ve long held the belief that we are the church. The church is not a building or what we do on Sundays, it is US working as the Body of Christ.
We’re not there either,Tom. In fact, that’s pretty much the root of the problem in this very divided,very secular place I live in. Our secularism likes to eat Christians, but our Christians like to eat Christians, too.
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We find it difficult to let Jesus Christ take charge of our lives. It may seem simple, but it is not. We always find ourselves doing what seems good for our egos instead of doing what is good for each other.
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