Where We're Going

One of the challenges a church family faces is how to know if we're making progress toward what God has challenged us to be and do. But because we're so accustomed to thinking of our walk with Jesus as an individual pursuit we often overlook, or even ignore the fact that when we enter into relationship with Jesus we enter into relationship with His other followers. What that means for us is that our walk with Jesus is no longer only about us and where we want to go, but rather about us together and where Jesus wants us to go together.

This may seem like a strange thing to say considering our cultural ideals of independence and isolation, but those two ideals go against the current of what Jesus desires. It's clear from scripture that He asks us to enter into a dependent relationship with Him and with other believers.

Having said that when we are asked to describe how were doing in following Jesus we look at that questions as an individual instead of as a part of the ekklesia (assembly of believers) that God has called us to be dependent upon. Consider the letters to the seven churches in The Revelation. The diagnosis of each church was based on the church together not individuals. He didn't call out "Joseph of Laodicea" as being lukewarm, He called out the church together. That seems to indicate that the church isn't measured on merits of one or two but rather on the faithfulness of the whole to the specific calling that each church has received.

What that means for the church family at CLC is this: We are called to share Jesus with reckless compassion. That being the case we better be aware of whether or not we're being faithful. One of the ways we'll know is by determining how many of our families are stepping out of their comfort zones and recklessly serving others in our community.

Know where we're going as a church family is important if we're going to be faithful to the calling that Jesus has given us. To help us understand it we'll look at two bold declarations in the next two weeks.

Share you comments and thoughts below....