But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;AR)"> against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Galations 5:22-24
Galations 5:22-24
What is the greatest purpose for the church internally today? I would argue that it is for us to be unified. We should be unified through Christ. As the above passage talks about the fruits that should be present in the church if the Spirit is inside of us -however many times there are rotten fruits of hatred, deceitfulness, meanness, and crookedness. Why is this? Should we not love our brother more then ourselves?
I think the greatest purpose of the church today is to be unified. So many times even as ministers we are tempted to institute change so that we can see numerical growth even if it splits a church - we should not be legalistic in worship, however change should not occur for our agenda's but for God's agenda. I would confess to you until recently my ministry has been about what I thought was best for the church - which was change. However today I can say that I have no agenda but God's - and I believe God's agenda for the American church is to be unified and radical.
Being the music guy - the most divisive ministry in the church - how is this even possible to accomplish in the church today? Part of me (even though I love music) agrees with the passage if your eye causes you to stumble pluck it out - I believe the church can exist without music; the but the calling in me cries out what is the purpose of music in the church? In the typical baptist church we are not creedal in nature; being we do not say creeds or have beliefs that we quote each week in unity. I believe our music serves this purpose. We come together as people who are radically different but yet have been radically changed admitting that we are nothing God is everything. This is unity. We are united through Christ - we may not like the same music styles, we may not like the same clothing attire, we may not like the same hobbies, but the reason we join on Sundays is in unity to say that Jesus Christ has pulled us out of the debts that we could not pull our selves out of.
So what is the purpose of the church. Unity. Old, Young, Black, White, Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian. The Church needs to be unified. we can only do this through Christ - we may disagree on many things - but if we agree on Christ has pulled us from the debts of our sins then we need to unite through His blood.
Jonathan
1 comment:
J-Co, I put a link to your blog on our student blog. Keep up the good work. Peace out.
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