How Beautiful Is the Body of Christ…Really?

It was great, hearing Rock Dillaman at Mahaffey Camp. He spoke to those present about the ministry of the Church in society. I took a few moments and typed these words from his first sermon at Mahaffey Family Camp, 2012.

I want to begin this first night by reading something that Bill Hybels said a few years ago, “There is nothing like the local church when it’s working right. Its beauty is indescribable. Its power is breathtaking. Its potential is unlimited. It comforts the grieving and heals the broken in the context of community. It builds bridges to seekers and offers truth to the confused. It provides resources to those in need and opens its arms to the forgotten, the downtrodden, the disillusioned. It breaks the chains of addictions, frees the oppressed, and offers belonging to the marginalized of this world. Whatever the capacity for human suffering, the church has a greater capacity for healing and wholeness. Still, to this day, the potential of the local church is almost more than I can grasp,” he said. “No other organization on earth is like the church — nothing even comes close.”

But notice how he began: “There’s nothing like the local church when it’s working right.”

But let me tell you something that I think you already know: There is nothing more tragic, more heartbreaking, more discouraging than the local church when it isn’t working right. Because when it isn’t working right, the ugliness is indescribable. The weakness is breathtaking. The potential is unfulfilled. And rather than comforting the grieving, it just creates more heartache than there already is in this world. And as I look across the church scene in our own nation, in many places, I see the church being ugly rather than breathtaking.

We’re not even evangelizing our own children very well. Do you know that a recent study has indicated 57% of young men and women raised in evangelical churches — as soon as they get out of high school — walk away from the faith and walk away from the church. 57%. I don’t think that many would be walking away if they were seeing something breathtaking. But I think many are walking away, by their own testimony, because they’ve just seen ugliness, division, infighting, power struggles, personality cults, love of tradition rather than love of lost people, refusal to change, lack of Spirit-power, lack of vision, business as usual, excuse-making, deadness of spirit, deadness of heart. When the church isn’t working — just makes you want to weep. — Rock Dillaman at Mahaffey Family Camp, 7/20/2012

How beautiful is the body of Christ, really?

Make your church the best thing about your community!

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes….

At our church, we’ve just passed the one year marker of a change — a change to Today’s Worship. As I was speaking through Ephesians, I noted that the words Paul said to the saints in Ephesus were applicable to our church, Curwensville Alliance.

One of the Worship Team members, Rusty, agreed to paraphrase Paul’s words. They follow.

Dear Curwensville Alliance Church family,

Ever since I heard about your church’s leap of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and your love for all your fellow saints, I have not stopped giving thanks and praying for your continued success.

Constantly, I ask God to give you the wisdom to find the best way to praise and know Him better.

I have also prayed that everyone’s heart may be enlightened to know God’s place for them, the impact it will have on other’s understanding of His grace, and his amazing love and strength that flows through all of His people.

Let God’s strength surge through the church as it did for Christ who saved the world by his death and resurrection in order that His praises may continue to be sung today as well as the future.

God put all of us where we are to help His church grow so that the whole world will know, love and praise Him.

Congratulations on your efforts and may the Lord continue to shine His love on all of you.

Always in love,

Paul

God’s done amazing things at Curwensville Alliance. This podcast, taken from the early, traditional service, speaks of his work in today’s Church. If you’re interested to hear the kinds of changes God loves, take a listen.

What does it mean to be unified?

I came across this statement today. It struck me so strongly that I listened and listened until I could type it.

It starts with the most influential… actually loving one another and scheduling appointments to get together and to work on  a friendship. Not just hosting events.

When Christians think of unity they think of events. Events are nothing more than political statesmanship.

….

Unity is really less about doing events together and it’s more about doing life together and building friendship. — Mark Driscoll | Redeem Cities 2010: Mark Driscoll Session 2 

This applies to pastors working together. And to everyone else in the church.